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• take-in
  take-in

  noun

  a deception, fraud, or imposition.
• take in
  take in

  verb

  to comprehend or understand

take-in

American  

[teyk-in] / ˈteɪkˌɪn /

noun

Informal.

1. a deception, fraud, or imposition.

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take in British  

verb

1. to comprehend or understand

2. to include or comprise

   his thesis takes in that point

3. to receive into one's house in exchange for payment

   to take in washing

   take in lodgers

4. to make (an article of clothing, etc) smaller by altering seams

5. to include

   the tour takes in the islands as well as the mainland

6. informal to cheat or deceive

7. to go to; visit

   let's take in a movie tonight

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noun

1. informal the act or an instance of cheating or deceiving

take in Idioms  

1. Admit, receive as a guest or employee, as in They offered to take in two of the orphaned children . [First half of 1500s]

2. Reduce in size, make smaller or shorter, as in I've lost some weight so I'll have to take in my clothes . [Early 1500s]

3. Include or constitute, as in This list takes in all the members, past and present . [Mid-1600s]

4. Understand, as in I couldn't take in all that French dialogue in the movie . [Second half of 1600s]

5. Deceive, swindle, as in That alleged fundraiser took me in completely . [First half of 1700s]

6. Look at thoroughly, as in We want to take in all the sights . [First half of 1700s]

7. Accept work to be done at home, as in His grandmother took in washing to support her children . [First half of 1800s]

8. Receive as proceeds, as in We had a good audience; how much did we take in? [Late 1800s] Also see the following entries beginning with take in .

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Etymology

Origin of take-in

First recorded in 1770–80; noun use of verb phrase take in

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

take-in take in

Sunday is also a day I get to enjoy take-in from my favorite restaurants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2024

Almost always, she said, there is a predictable sequence in which people take-in an eclipse: it begins with a sense of wrongness and primal fear, followed by a feeling of connectedness and insignificance.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024

If the people of Standing Rock did not take-in their beloved family and friends, there would be mass homelessness.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2017

Bordeaux’s Musée des Beaux Arts is also a great take-in for a mere four Euros to enter.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 28, 2015

They were on the other side of the river and there they briefly stopped to take-in the beauty of their surroundings.

From Scorched Earth by Petrovic, Walter D.

In California, backers of the wealth tax say the state could take in $100 billion.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Instead, they may act more like powerful cosmic digestive systems that take in matter, process it, and eject a surprising portion back into space.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Thankfully, Jimmy knew of a nest being built on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland which would happily take in the giggle of galahs, alongside its impending parliament of owls and pandemonium of parrots.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

A number of factors, Smith said, could have caused the vessel to take in water as it headed back to a San Francisco marina.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Regan said as she turned to take in the empty echoing space.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin