the inner or internal part; interior: the inside of the house.
the inner side or surface: the inside of the hand; He pinned the money to the inside of his jacket.
Usually insides.Informal. the inner parts of the body, especially the stomach and intestines: The coffee scalded my insides.
a select or inner circle of power, prestige, etc.: a man on the inside.
the shortest of several parallel, curving tracks or lanes; the part of an oval track closest to the inner rail: The horse came up fast on the inside.
the inward nature, mind, feelings, etc.
Slang. confidential or secret information.
an inside passenger or place in a coach, carriage, etc.
adjective
situated or being on or in the inside; interior; internal: an inside seat.
acting, employed, done, or originating within a building or place: He used to work on the dock but now he has an inside job.
derived from the inner circle of those concerned in and having private knowledge of a situation: inside information.
Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing between home plate and the batter: The pitch was low and inside.
Idioms
inside of, Informal. within the space or period of: Our car broke down again inside of a mile.
inside out,
with the inner side reversed to face the outside.
thoroughly; completely: She knew the work inside out.
Origin of inside
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at in, side1
Synonyms for inside
7. Inside,interior both refer to the inner part or space within something. Inside is a common word, and is used with reference to things of any size, small or large: the inside of a pocket.Interior, somewhat more formal, denotes the inner part or the space or regions within; it usually suggests considerable size or extent, and sometimes a richness of decoration: the interior of a country, of the earth, of a cathedral.
late 14c., ynneside "interior of the body," compound of in (adv.) + side (n.). The adjective is 1610s, from the noun. Inside job "robbery, espionage, etc., committed by or with the help of a resident or servant of a place" is attested by 1887, American English (also, late 19c., early 20c., "indoors work"). Inside track "advantage" is metaphoric because those lanes are shorter on a curved track. Inside of, in reference to time, is from 1839.
Within, in less than the whole of, referring especially to a period of time. For example, They promised to return it inside of a month. Although some authorities believe inside alone conveys the same meaning, the full term is widely used. [Early 1800s]
