inside

noun in·side \ (ˌ)in-ˈsīd , ˈin-ˌsīd \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of inside

1 a : an interior or internal part or place : the part within

b : inward nature, thoughts, or feeling

c : viscera, entrails —usually used in plural

2 : an inner side or surface

3 a : a position of power, trust, or familiarity

only someone on the inside could have told

b : confidential information

has the inside on what happened at the convention

4 : the area nearest a specified or implied point of reference: such as

a : the side of home plate nearest the batter

b : the middle portion of a playing area

c : the area near or underneath the basket in basketball

See inside defined for English-language learners

See inside defined for kids

Examples of inside in a Sentence

The inside of the church is quite beautiful.
I've never seen the inside of a computer before.

Recent Examples of inside from the Web

When Kansas finally figured out a way to shut down the outside shooting, Paschall and his teammates ran roughshod over the Jayhawks on the inside.

— nancy armour, USA TODAY, "Final Four: Villanova is steamrolling toward another national title," 31 Mar. 2018
With Gustin's return, coaches have asked Rector to play on the inside and outside of the defensive line.

— lindsey thiry, latimes.com, "A more humble Ross battling for USC starting safety position," 30 Mar. 2018
The stark, sharp building is surrounded by fresh dirt that’s roped off on the outside, and gleaming white paint on the inside.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "One minute in the Jaguar I-Pace was enough to learn it’s quick, but not much else," 30 Mar. 2018
Callahan and LeBlanc are better suited for work on the inside.

— brad biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Bears Q&A: Do the Bears have a new approach in the weight room? What is Kyle Fuller's contract moving forward?," 28 Mar. 2018
On the inside, the cuffs and inner pockets feature artwork by professional climber, artist, and Meridian Line founder Jeremy Collins.

— ben fox, Outside Online, "Meridian Line Just Created the Ultimate Adventure Jeans," 27 Mar. 2018
Oxblood leather upholstery and a wicker headliner complete the old-school look on the inside.

— Fox News, "These 2018 Easter Jeep Safari concepts are a treat," 20 Mar. 2018
There was freedom and power on the fringe unavailable to those on the inside.

— elyssa goodman, Billboard, "'RuPaul's Drag Race': As Season 10 Arrives, What Does the Show Mean to Pop Culture?," 20 Mar. 2018
These pretzel nubbins are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

— Bon Appetit, "Pretzel Bites," 19 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of inside

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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inside Synonyms

inside

adverb

Definition of inside

1 : on the inner side

2 : in or into the interior

stayed inside during the storm

3 : to or on the inside

4 : in prison

See inside defined for English-language learners

Examples of inside in a Sentence

I cleaned my car inside and out.
The candy is chewy inside.
We went inside during the storm.
Step inside and look at our menu.
He got put inside for burglary.

Recent Examples of inside from the Web

But to scientists’ delight, the latest ichthyosaur fossil had a surprise inside: it was preserved while carrying up to eight babies.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Fossilized ‘Sea Monster’ Found Pregnant With Eight Babies," 10 Apr. 2018
Police said Bryant, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was the only person inside.

— colin campbell, Howard County Times, "Man, 30, killed in crash, the second in Ellicott City on Sunday," 9 Apr. 2018
Check closets, too, and look inside pockets of pants or jackets that are on hangers, some parents said.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "Not even the Bible is safe. Here's where experts say some kids hide their drugs," 9 Apr. 2018
Plus, the product inside is just as good as the packaging.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Smashbox Petal Metal Highlighter Is the Most Spring Beauty a Highlighter Can Get," 9 Apr. 2018
Multiple crews went sent inside, opened the ceiling and extinguished the blaze.

— linda girardi, Elgin Courier-News, "Pregnant woman treated for smoke inhalation after Elgin house fire, officials say," 8 Apr. 2018
Campus Police Chief Jack Touhy said the carjacker pushed the student into a car and drove off with her inside at about 1 p.m. in parking lot seven on campus.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Saint Xavier student carjacked, briefly kidnapped, authorities say," 7 Apr. 2018
Once inside, Peach said the second suspect pointed a handgun at both victims.

— jessica anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County police arrest man in Foundry Row shooting," 5 Apr. 2018
Once inside, the friend ran into the woman's room and grabbed the television.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "Woman demands money from boyfriend at gunpoint in Algiers: NOPD," 30 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of inside

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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inside

adjective

Definition of inside

1 : of, relating to, or being on or near the inside

an inside pitch

2 a : relating or known to a select group

inside information

b : behind-the-scenes

See inside defined for English-language learners

Examples of inside in a Sentence

the inside edge of her foot
He gave us an inside view of the situation.
I got the inside story from a friend who works there.

Recent Examples of inside from the Web

For an inside look at what life is like pretending to be a Plastic, see Henningsen’s behind-the-scenes photos from the Mean Girls opening night, above.

— maria ward, Vogue, "How Mean Girls’s Erika Henningsen Channeled Cady Heron on Opening Night," 9 Apr. 2018
The scrutiny of Wells Fargo’s wealth-management business offers an inside look at how sales incentives are sometimes structured at big financial institutions.

— neil weinberg, Bloomberg.com, "Wells Fargo Sales Push Extended to Wealth Unit, Ex-Workers Say," 5 Apr. 2018
The radio logs come three months after video captured by U.S. Navy pilots offered an inside look at a secretive government program that investigated UFOs.

— CBS News, "2 airline pilots report seeing UFO while flying over Arizona," 29 Mar. 2018
Here's an inside look at Facebook's last two hellish years, as the company has struggled to maintain public trust Security The only way to be truly secure on Facebook is to delete your account.

— louise matsakis, WIRED, "What To Look For in Your Facebook Data—And How to Find It," 28 Mar. 2018
An inside look at Williams’s unorthodox design process.

— samuel hine, GQ, "How Matthew Williams Turned Alyx Into One of the Hottest Brands Out of Europe," 16 Mar. 2018
Now 34-2 on the season, U of L advances to the Lexington regional with a +7.8 rebound average and the kind of physical inside game that can compensate on those nights when Asia Durr's jump shot is askew.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Bullying basketball works for Louisville women|Tim Sullivan," 18 Mar. 2018
Hali is the latest Chiefs veteran to be moved this offseason, joining inside linebacker Derrick Johnson and quarterback Alex Smith.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Chiefs release veteran Tamba Hali, clear $7.7 million in cap room | The Kansas City Star," 12 Mar. 2018
Johnson’s sixth game of the season with 20 or more points helped the Heat establish its inside game early and eventually break the game open.

— andre c. fernandez, miamiherald, "Most lopsided win of the season comes in signature Heat style - with a collective effort | Miami Herald," 10 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of inside

1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

inside Synonyms

Synonyms

behind-the-scenes, confidential, esoteric, hush-hush, hushed, intimate, nonpublic, private, privy, secret;

Antonyms

common, open, public;

Near Antonyms

well-known;

advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, enunciated, heralded, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, publicized, published, reported, spotlighted;

Related Words

classified, restricted, top secret;

silent, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, unmentioned, unsaid, untold;

clandestine, closet, collusive, conspiratorial, covert;

furtive, hugger-mugger, occult, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded;

personal;

closeted, concealed, hidden;

repressed, silenced, stifled, suppressed;

backstage, offscreen, offstage;

inside

preposition

Definition of inside

1 a : in or into or as if in or into the interior of

waited inside the church

b : on the inner side of

just inside the door

2 : within

inside an hour

See inside defined for English-language learners

Examples of inside in a Sentence

We waited inside the store.
Several people were trapped inside the burning building.
She kept her hands inside her pockets.
His feelings were building up inside him.
He lives inside the city limits.
Sources inside the company indicate that there are disagreements about the change in management.

Recent Examples of inside from the Web

Micah Kiser, Christian Sam and Genard Avery are solid inside linebacker types to add depth, while Andre Chachere, Party Nickerson and Godwin Igwebuike are defensive back options that could pay off as well.

— stephanie stradley, Houston Chronicle, "Stephanie Stradley’s Q&A on the Texans and the 2018 NFL draft," 11 Apr. 2018
Vehicles sat outside the burning building, and appliances were both inside and outside.

— christine dempsey, courant.com, "Fire Guts East Hartford Appliance Repair Shop," 11 Apr. 2018
In the first town hall, Traci Catto, took issue with a proposal to equally classify trauma victims who were inside and outside the building where the shooting took place.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Question of trauma will be key for dividing Parkland shooting fund," 11 Apr. 2018
But the 6-foot-3 Jones was a key inside player for the Cougars’ struggling basketball team that badly needed rebounds and an inside defensive presence.

— bob narang, chicagotribune.com, "Boys volleyball notes: Vernon Hills' Derrick Jones shapes up for senior season," 9 Apr. 2018
Four-star receiver Marcus Washington, four-star inside linebacker Shammond Cooper and four-star safety Jalani Williams are the other three.

— tim bielik, cleveland.com, "Five-star defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele receives Ohio State offer on his unofficial visit: Buckeyes football recruiting," 9 Apr. 2018
Only the 12 stand-alone branches of Guaranty in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota reopened as branches of First Citizens Bank, and Guaranty's 107 branches located inside stores were to be permanently closed.

— paul gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "First Citizens Bank to close Brown Deer, Glendale branches," 9 Apr. 2018
To celebrate, Nilay, Dieter, and Paul start the show by explaining inside jokes that have been stamped into the show over the past few years.

— andrew marino, The Verge, "The 300th episode of The Vergecast," 6 Apr. 2018
Sometimes shamans performed religious ceremonies inside circles made of whale bones.

— krista langlois, Smithsonian, "Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures Who Talk to Whales," 6 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of inside

1791

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

INSIDE Defined for English Language Learners

inside

noun

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

: an inner side, edge, or surface of something
the inside : an inner part of something (such as a building or machine)
: the inner parts (such as the heart and stomach) of a person's body

inside

adverb

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

: in the inner part of something
: in or into the inner part of a building, room, etc.
: in prison

inside

adjective

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

: located on or near the inner side, edge, or surface of something
: coming from someone within a group or organization : relating to or having information that is known only to a special group of people
: done by someone within a group or organization

inside

preposition

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

: in or into the inner part of (something or someone)
: within the borders or limits of (something)
: before the end of (a period of time)

INSIDE Defined for Kids

inside

noun in·side \ in-ˈsīd , ˈin-ˌsīd \

Definition of inside for Students

1 : an inner side, surface, or space

the inside of a box

2 : the inner parts of a person or animal —usually used in pl.

inside

adverb

Definition of inside for Students

1 : on the inner side

I cleaned my car inside and out.

2 : in or into the interior

Go inside.

inside

adjective

Definition of inside for Students

1 : relating to or being on or near the inside

an inside wall

2 : relating or known to a certain few people

inside information

inside

preposition

Definition of inside for Students

1 : to or on the inside of

They are inside the house.

2 : before the end of : within

I'll finish inside an hour.

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inside

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inside

Definition of inside

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inside Synonyms

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inside

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INSIDE Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of inside for English Language Learners

inside

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

inside

Definition of inside for English Language Learners

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Definition of inside for English Language Learners

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