inside out
Idioms-
With the inner surface turned out or revealed, as in He wore his shirt inside out . This expression dates from about 1600 and was soon used figuratively, as in He turned the verses inside out and revealed their hidden sense .
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Extremely well, thoroughly, especially alluding to knowing something. For example, He knows this system inside out . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rangers great Allan McGregor, who knows the club inside out, has also been brought back as goalkeeping coach.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s a film that identifies the boundaries we subscribe to and the stories that we let take over our lives, turning us inside out.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Rodin seems to arrive at his sculptures, instead, from the inside out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Many of the fossils display unusual combinations of features, such as tentacles, stalks, attachment discs, and feeding structures that could be turned inside out.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026
The wind was picking up now, and the umbrella Mom was holding went inside out after a strong gust.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
