in

preposition

\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 2a 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

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Current tenants will have rent increases phased in. — Bill Leukhardt, Courant Community, "Waiting List Open For Southington Housing Authority Apartments," 13 July 2018 According to a new report on the best and worst cities to drive in from personal finance website WalletHub, Atlanta barely cracks the worst 50 in the country. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Driving in Atlanta is painful — but it’s far from the worst," 11 July 2018 The United States is poised to impose tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods at midnight, and Beijing is prepared to respond in kind. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "On Eve of Trade War, China Warns That Trump’s Tariffs Will Backfire," 5 July 2018 In each debate, the system’s mellow, synthetic, female voice made a four-minute opening statement, before responding to its opponent’s own opener with a second four-minute spiel, and letting them respond in kind. — Tom Simonite, WIRED, "Now the Computer Can Argue With You," 19 June 2018 The tower can be seen in the 2018 SpaceX environmental impact report, recently published by NASA, which offers a glimpse into the company’s plans to expand in and around Kennedy Space Center in Florida. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Cape Canaveral, Reinvigorated," 12 June 2018 Karni's piece details the work of a small group of White House aides to reassemble documents, memos, printed-out stories and the like that Trump rips to shreds -- literally -- day in and day out. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "Donald Trump is literally tearing up the trappings of the US presidency," 11 June 2018 The increase, which will be phased in over ten years for men and 16 years for women, should significantly reduce the burden on the federal budget and allow for higher pensions to be paid. — The Economist, "Russia will raise pension ages that date back to Stalin," 30 June 2018 Over the years, new attractions will be phased in, a process that’s taking place with other older lodges, Hennessy said. — Emily K. Coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Chance the Rapper leads camp kids in test run at Great Wolf Lodge, Gurnee's newly renovated water park," 21 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Andre Roberson's injury has hurt them worse than anyone could have imagined, and suddenly the all-in bet on one year of George is becoming a more sobering proposition. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "The Year of Stress in the Western Conference," 9 Mar. 2018 But this latest test suggests that the United States may already be in range as well, and that, as one former top American intelligence official noted recently, would put enormous pressure on American missile defenses that few trust to work. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump looks east for new foreign policy," 5 July 2017 But this latest test suggests that the United States may already be in range as well, and that, as one former top American intelligence official noted recently, would put enormous pressure on American missile defenses that few trust to work. — David E. Sanger, New York Times, "What Can Trump Do About North Korea? His Options Are Few and Risky," 4 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In an interview with Good Morning America (h/t Time), Siyonbola spoke out about her run-in with Sarah Braasch, a white Yale grad student and feminist scholar who called campus police after seeing Siyonbola asleep in a common room. — Anne Branigin, The Root, "Black Yale Student Wants White Classmate Who Called Police on Her Held Accountable," 15 May 2018 The question looming over Pompeo a day after his swearing-in: How long can the honeymoon last? — Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg.com, "For Pompeo, Senate Confirmation Was the Easy Part," 27 Apr. 2018 Linear ratings were down significantly from the freshman run, largely because of its much softer lead-in. — Michael O'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, "TV Ratings: 'Big Brother' Gets Another Lift," 13 July 2018 The Ravens have also overhauled their in-stadium WiFi, which will now be able to handle 10 gigabits per second, a 500 percent increase from 2017. — Katherine Fominykh, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens announce digital ticketing for game days, new 4K video boards at M&T Bank Stadium," 12 July 2018 Our own die-in went smoothly, but our mission has only just begun. — Jenni Corwin, Teen Vogue, "What Exactly a Die-In Is, and How to Organize Your Own," 6 July 2018 More than 90% of participants reportedly showed up to all of their check-ins and court hearings. — The Economist, "America’s immigration system is broken," 28 June 2018 Soon Amanda started to have her first run-ins with depression and anxiety. — Ursula Perano And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "She often harbored suicidal thoughts. Now, this teen is using technology to fight them," 14 June 2018 But his first putt stopped six feet short, his second raced four feet past the hole, his third missed on the high side and his tap-in gave him a four-putt, double-bogey 6. — Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, "Tiger Woods lets another round get away from him, shoots 78 at U.S. Open," 14 June 2018

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

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Learn More about in

Dictionary Entries near in

impx

imu

I must love you and leave you

in-

Phrases Related to in

the ins and outs

Statistics for in

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for in

The first known use of in was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

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More Definitions for in

preposition

English Language Learners Definition of in

(Entry 1 of 4)

—used to indicate location or position within something

: to the inside of (a room, container, etc.)

—used to indicate that someone or something belongs to or is included as part of something

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of in (Entry 2 of 4)

: to or toward the inside of something (such as a building)

: to or toward a place

: at the place where someone or something arrives after traveling

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of in (Entry 3 of 4)

: popular or fashionable

: aware of and strongly influenced by what is new and fashionable

noun

English Language Learners Definition of in (Entry 4 of 4)

: a way of becoming involved in something or of influencing someone

See the full definition for in in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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