in

preposition

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\ ˈin

, ən, ᵊn \

Definition of in

(Entry 1 of 11)

1a —used as a function word to indicate inclusion, location, or position within limits in the lakewounded in the legin the summer

b : into sense 1 went in the house

2 —used as a function word to indicate means, medium, or instrumentality written in pencilbound in leather

3a —used as a function word to indicate limitation, qualification, or circumstance alike in some respectsleft in a hurry

b : into sense 4a broke in pieces

4 —used as a function word to indicate purpose said in reply

5 —used as a function word to indicate the larger member of a ratio one in six is eligible

adverb

\ ˈin

Definition of in (Entry 2 of 11)

1a(1) : to or toward the inside especially of a house or other building come in

(2) : to or toward some destination or particular place flew in on the first plane

(3) : at close quarters : near play close in

b : so as to incorporate mix in the flour —often used in combination built-in bookcases

c : to or at an appropriate place fit a piece in

2a : within a particular place especially : within the customary place of residence or business the doctor is in

b : in the position of participant, insider, or officeholder —often used with on in on the joke

c(1) : on good terms

(2) : in a specified relation in bad with the boss

(3) : in a position of assured or definitive success

d : in vogue or season

e of an oil well : in production

f : in one's presence, possession, or control after the crops are in

g : from a condition of indistinguishability to one of clarity fade in

in for

: certain to experience in for a rude awakening

adjective

\ ˈin

Definition of in (Entry 3 of 11)

1a : that is located inside or within the in part

b : that is in position, operation, or power the in party

c : inside sense 2

2 : that is directed or bound inward : incoming the in train

3a : extremely fashionable the in thing to do

b : keenly aware of and responsive to what is new and fashionable the in crowd

noun

\ ˈin

Definition of in (Entry 4 of 11)

1 : one who is in office or power or on the inside a matter of ins versus outs

2 : influence, pull enjoyed some sort of in with the commandant— Henriette Roosenburg

abbreviation (1)

Definition of in (Entry 5 of 11)

1 inch

2 inlet

symbol

Definition of In (Entry 6 of 11)

indium

abbreviation (2)

Definition of IN (Entry 7 of 11)

Indiana

in-

prefix (1)

variants: or il- or im- or ir-

Definition of in- (Entry 8 of 11)

: not : non-, un- —usually il- before l illogical , im- before b, m, or p imbalanceimmoralimpractical , ir- before r irreducible , and in- before other sounds inconclusive

in-

prefix (2)

variants: or il- or im- or ir-

Definition of in- (Entry 9 of 11)

1 : in : within : into : toward : on —usually il- before l illuviation , im- before b, m, or p immingle , ir- before r irradiance , and in- before other sounds infiltrate

2 : en- entry 1 imbrute imperil inspirit

-in

noun suffix

Definition of -in (Entry 10 of 11)

1a : neutral chemical compound insulin

b : enzyme pancreatin

c : antibiotic penicillin

2 : -ine entry 2 sense 1a epinephrin

3 : pharmaceutical product niacin

-in

noun combining form

Definition of -in (Entry 11 of 11)

: organized public protest by means of or in favor of : demonstration teach-in love-in

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About in

Examples of in in a Sentence

Preposition Don't come in here with those muddy feet! drawn on the wall in crayon Adverb She went in and closed the door. I lost my keys and now I can't get in. The burglars broke in through the kitchen window. The pool is deep. Be careful not to fall in. The boss called us in for a conference. The fog was closing in fast. Get your orders in early! Is the train in yet? Adjective the in thing to do the in place to go It's what the in crowd is wearing this season. Noun When you're trying to get started in show business, it helps to have an in. They must have an in with the boss. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition So far, about 6,000 Ukrainians of the 19,000 who applied have received authorization to travel to the U.S. after passing background checks and biometric screenings, DHS said in a statement. — Byquinn Owen, ABC News, 10 May 2022 Ivan Israel Diaz Lira, 20, died Saturday as a result of a stab wound, the coroner's office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 10 May 2022 Coach John Harbaugh said in March that both could open training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list. — Jonas Shaffer, Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2022 In response, Google said in a blog post Monday that Match Group is simply trying to get out of paying for the services Google provides as part of its platform. — Brian Fung, CNN, 10 May 2022 The site is between the towns of Ponca and Pruitt in Newton County. — Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 10 May 2022 In their places, Auburn is bringing in—so far—four new pieces. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 9 May 2022 Vicky White allegedly sold her home and was set to retire the day the couple fled, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. — Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 9 May 2022 The Roswell Air Center notified the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office just before 10 a.m. that a single engine plane requested to make an emergency landing on Highway 285 North near mile marker 151, Sheriff Mike Herrington said in a Facebook post. — Fox News, 9 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb All are surrounded by dikes, which are known locally as levees; their purpose is to keep water from flooding back in. — David Owen, The New Yorker, 11 May 2022 Conditional tenses slipped away from me, and circumlocutions crept in. — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2022 Amazon has jumped in, goosing the market even more, and other digital players loom. — Jason Gay, WSJ, 11 May 2022 After years of moving in and out of school, Dora Clark graduated from college last weekend. — Jennifer Pignolet, USA TODAY, 10 May 2022 Swimmers from 6 to 60 and beyond had to exercise patience to jump in. — George Castle, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2022 My breasts were swollen and my milk wasn’t coming in. — Adriana Gallardo, ProPublica, 10 May 2022 By being able to move smoothly in from one direction to another, multiplanar training not only helps strengthen muscle, but also helps increase balance and stability, which will help improve athletic performance. — Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 9 May 2022 Last year, the area near Jenkinsville — about 40 miles (60 kilometers) west of this group of tremors — registered six small earthquakes in over a week. — Meg Kinnard, ajc, 9 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Toyota has long had a more conservative view of electric vehicles than some other automakers that have pledged to go all-in, or nearly so, on EVs. — Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, 12 Apr. 2022 Photos are checked against its in-house index, containing over 52.6 billion images. — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2022 Additionally, ask how the platform integrates with your in-house APIs. — Eoin Hinchy, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2022 Reaching that potential, however, will require a full, all-in commitment from national and state leaders to build a supportive infrastructure aligned with clear quality standards and supported by robust financing. — Benjamin F. Miller, STAT, 24 Apr. 2022 The question is, will brands embrace the technology and go all-in? — Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 So his all-in cost would be a fraction of Europe's or Asia's current rates. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2022 Eventually, though, the demands of the book, and her all-in approach to research and writing, led her to request a leave of absence. — New York Times, 18 Feb. 2022 ViacomCBS wants to be known as Paramount Global now, unveiling its name change and all-in commitment to streaming during an investor day Tuesday afternoon. — Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The lake has been shrinking due to a lack of natural in-flows, combined with years of drought and rising temperatures from climate change. — Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, 11 May 2022 Choose a spacious spot on the open air patio or grab a private nook for your in-person meetups. — Robin Soslow, Chron, 10 May 2022 The earlier review start time will allow the division to report preliminary election results on election night, after the last in-person voting locations close at 8 p.m. — Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2022 The jokes aren't really super insidery MCU in-jokes. — Evan Romano, Men's Health, 5 May 2022 Kumar thinks learning models similar to KaiPod, that bring together the best features of online learning platforms with crucial in-person, human-to-human interaction, is the future of education. — Kerry Mcdonald, Forbes, 2 May 2022 The forum, held before an in-person and online audience at Coppin State University, was hosted by the university’s College of Business Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship and moderated by WMAR news anchor Kelly Swoope. — Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2022 The 2022 ball marked the return of the in-person, high-profile fundraiser after taking a hiatus due to COVID-19. — Breanna Bell, PEOPLE.com, 20 Apr. 2022 Those eligible to do so must also be unable to vote on Election Day or any of the early in-person voting days due to health, work or temporary residence excuses, or on account of of their age, disability or illness. — Joe Sonka, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'in.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of in

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for in

Preposition

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German in in, Latin in, Greek en

Prefix (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin; akin to Old English un-

Prefix (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin, from in in, into

Noun suffix

French -ine, from Latin -īna, feminine of -īnus of or belonging to — more at -en

Noun combining form

sit-in

Learn More About in

Dictionary Entries Near in

I must love you and leave you

Statistics for in

Last Updated

12 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“In.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in. Accessed 21 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for in

preposition

\ ˈin

, ən \

Kids Definition of in

(Entry 1 of 7)

1 : located or positioned within The house is in the country.

2 : into sense 1 We ran in the house.

3 : during It's warmer in the summer.

4 : with sense 2 I wrote in pencil.

5 —used to show a state or condition You're in luck!We're in trouble.

6 —used to show manner or purpose I'm in a hurry.He laughed in reply.

7 : into sense 2 It broke in pieces.

adverb

\ ˈin

Kids Definition of in (Entry 2 of 7)

1 : to or toward the inside I went in and closed the door.

2 : to or toward some particular place We flew in yesterday.

3 : near entry 1 sense 1 Play close in.

4 : into the midst of something Mix in the flour.

5 : to or at its proper place Can you fit this piece in?

6 : on the inner side : within Everyone is in.

7 : present and available for use All the votes are in.

in for

: sure to experience He was in for a surprise.

adjective

\ ˈin

Kids Definition of in (Entry 3 of 7)

1 : being inside or within the in part

2 : headed or bound inward the in train

3 : fashionable

in.

abbreviation

Kids Definition of in.

inch

abbreviation

Kids Definition of IN

Indiana

in-

prefix

variants: or il- or im- or ir-

Kids Definition of in-

(Entry 1 of 7)

: not : non-, un- —usually il- before l illogical , im- before b, m, or p immoralimpractical , ir- before r irreconcilable and in- before other sounds incomplete

in-

prefix

variants: or il- or im- or ir-

Kids Definition of in- (Entry 2 of 7)

1 : in : within : into : toward : on —usually il- before l illuminate , im- before b, m, or p import , ir- before r irradiate , and in- before other sounds infect

2 : en- sense 2 imperil

abbreviation