inside

1 of 4

noun

in·​side (ˌ)in-ˈsīd  ˈin-ˌsīd 

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

inside

2 of 4

adverb

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

inside

3 of 4

adjective

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

inside

4 of 4

preposition

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

Synonyms

Noun

• interior
• within

Adjective

• confidential
• private
• secret
• hidden
• classified

Examples of inside in a Sentence

Noun

The inside of the church is quite beautiful.

I've never seen the inside of a computer before.

Adverb

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.

Adjective

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.

Preposition

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 on the Web

Noun

There’s also a not-very-nose-like pillow between App-E’s eyes, which is probably what the human inside sees out of. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025

Doing this inside means a longer amount of time spent with the compost caddy open to the air, and doing this outside was more cumbersome and tedious to do. —Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 July 2025

Adverb

So far, Self-Portrait and MAC Cosmetics has hosted splashy pop-ups inside. —Denni Hu, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2025

No one was inside during the fire, according to Rhodes. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025

Adjective

How to book the nude cruise Rates: Cruise room rates start at $2,000 for an inside cabin and go up to $33,000 for a three-bedroom villa, similar to prices of the 2025 nude cruise. —Cordell Jones, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2025

On the New Heights podcast — which is hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason —on Wednesday, Swift started crying while giving an inside look at how her big purchase came to be. —Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Preposition

Calvin Harris dribbled inside the penalty area and was taken down, then as Rapids players pleaded for a penalty and Atlanta defenders looked to the referee to deny it, Navarro drove a ball past keeper Brad Guzan’s feet. —Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025

Blake Snell allowed three of his five hits inside the first two innings, including leadoff singles from Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first and Xander Bogaerts in the second inning. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing inside

• deep down (inside)
• inside address
• inside baseball
• inside job
• inside joke
• inside of
• inside out
• inside the door
• inside track
• inside voice
• know something inside and out
• know something inside out
• on the inside
• the inside
• the inside dope
• the inside scoop
• the inside/straight/real skinny
• the inside track
• turn (something) inside out

Rhymes for inside

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

inside

1 of 4 noun

in·​side (ˈ)in-ˈsīd  ˈin-ˌsīd 

1

: an inner side or surface

2

a

: an interior or internal part

b

: inward nature, thoughts, or feeling

c

: entrails

—usually used in plural

inside

2 of 4 adjective

1

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

an inside wall

2

: relating or known to a special group of people

inside information

inside

3 of 4 preposition

1

a

: in or into the interior of

they are inside the house

b

: on the inner side of

put the dot inside the curve

2

: before the end of : within

inside an hour

inside

4 of 4 adverb

1

: on the inside

the car is clean inside

2

: in or into the interior

went inside