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(used to indicate inclusion within sp-ce, a place, or limits):
walking in the park.
(used to indicate inclusion within something abstract or immaterial):
in politics; in the autumn.
(used to indicate inclusion within or occurrence during a period or limit of time):
in ancient times; a task done in ten minutes.
(used to indicate limitation or qualification, as of situation, condition, relation, manner, action, etc.):
to speak in a whisper; to be similar in appearance.
(used to indicate means):
sketched in ink; spoken in french.
(used to indicate motion or direction from outside to a point within) into:
let’s go in the house.
(used to indicate transition from one state to another):
to break in half.
(used to indicate object or purpose):
speaking in honor of the event.
in or into some place, position, state, relation, etc.:
please come in.
on the inside; within.
in one’s house or office.
in office or power.
in possession or occupancy.
having the turn to play, as in a game.
baseball. (of an infielder or outfielder) in a position closer to home plate than usual; short:
the third baseman played in, expecting a bunt.
on good terms; in favor:
he’s in with his boss, but he doubts it will last.
in vogue; in style:
he says straw hats will be in this year.
in season:
watermelons will soon be in.
located or situated within; inner; internal:
the in part of a mechanism.
informal.

in favor with advanced or sophisticated people; fashionable; stylish:
the in place to dine; her new novel is the in book to read this summer.
comprehensible only to a special or ultrasophisticated group:
an in joke.

well-liked; included in a favored group.
inward; incoming; inbound:
an in train.
plentiful; available.
being in power, authority, control, etc.:
a member of the in party.
playing the last nine holes of an eighteen-hole golf course (opposed to out):
his in score on the second round was 34.
usually, ins. persons in office or political power (distinguished from outs).
a member of the political party in power:
the election made him an in.
pull or influence; a social advantage or connection:
he’s got an in with the senator.
(in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) a return or service that lands within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court (opposed to out).
to enclose.
be in for, to be bound to undergo something, especially a disagreeable experience:
we are in for a long speech.
in for it, slang. about to suffer chastis-m-nt or unpleasant consequences, especially of one’s own actions or omissions:
i forgot our anniversary again, and i’ll be in for it now.
also, british, for it.
in that, because; inasmuch as:
in that you won’t have time for supper, let me give you something now.
in with, on friendly terms with; familiar or -ssociating with:
they are in with all the important people.
preposition
inside; within: no smoking in the auditorium
at a place where there is: lying in the shade, walking in the rain
indicating a state, situation, or condition: in a deep sleep, standing in silence
before or when (a period of time) has elapsed: come back in one year
using (a language, etc) as a means of communication: written in code
concerned or involved with, esp as an occupation: in journalism
expressing a ratio, proportion, or probability: one in five boys
while or by performing the action of; as a consequence of or by means of: in crossing the street he was run over
used to indicate goal or purpose: in honour of the president
(used of certain animals) about to give birth to; pregnant with (specified offspring): in foal, in calf
a variant of into she fell in the water, he tore the paper in two
(often foll by an infinitive) have it in one, to have the ability (to do something)
(austral, informal) in it, joining in; taking part
(conjunction) in that, in so far as, because or to the extent that; inasmuch as: i regret my remark in that it upset you
nothing in it, no difference or interval between two things
adverb (particle)
in or into a particular place; inward or indoors: come in, bring him in
so as to achieve office, power, or authority: the conservatives got in at the last election
so as to enclose: block in, cover in a hole
(in certain games) so as to take one’s turn or one’s team’s turn at a certain aspect of the play; taking one’s innings: you have to get the other side out before you go in
(brit) (of a fire) alight: do you keep the fire in all night?
(in combination) indicating an activity or gathering, esp one organized to protest against something: teach-in, work-in
in at, present at (the beginning, end, etc)
in between, between
in for, about to be affected by (something, esp something unpleasant): you’re in for a shock
in on, acquainted with or sharing in: i was in on all his plans
in with, -ssociated with; friendly with; regarded highly by
(informal) have it in for, have got it in for, to wish or intend harm towards
adjective
(stressed) fashionable; modish: the in thing to do
(nz) competing: you’ve got to be in to win
noun
ins and outs, intricacies or complications; details: the ins and outs of a computer system
abbreviation
india
chemical symbol
indium
abbreviation
indiana

old english in (prep.) “in, into, upon, on, at, among; about, during;” inne (adv.) “within, inside,” from proto-germanic -in (cf. old frisian, dutch, german, gothic in, old norse i), from pie -en “in” (cf. greek en, latin in “in, into,” old irish in, welsh yn-, old church slavonic on-). as an adjective from 1590s.

the forms merged in middle english. modern sense distinction between in and on is from later middle english. sense of “holding power” (the in party) first recorded c.1600; that of “exclusive” (the in-crowd, an in-joke) is from 1907 (in-group); that of “stylish, fashionable” (the in thing) is from 1960. the noun sense of “influence, access” (have an in with) first recorded 1929 in american english. in-and-out “copulation” is attested from 1610s.

in
the symbol for the element indium.
in
the symbol for indium.

adjective

in fashion at the moment; now preferred: violence is in, sentiment is out (1960+)
accepted; ac-ceptable; belonging to a select group; in like flynn: one of the in people/ bullock made it to the ”in” crowd a few years later (1960+)

noun

an advantage, esp through an acquaintance; entree: get me an in with the skipper of that precinct (1920s+ underworld)
a person who holds office or other power or position: will the democrats ever be the ins again? (1768+)

related terms

get in, have it in for someone
inch
indium
indiana

in a bad light
in a bad mood
in a bad way
in a big way
in a bind
in a breeze
in a cold sweat
in a dither
in a fix
in a flash
in a flutter
in a fog
in a good light
in a hole
in a huff
in a jam
in a lather
in a manner of speaking
in a nutsh-ll
in a pig’s eye
in a pinch
in a rut
in a sense
in a snit
in a state
in a stew
in a tight corner
in a tizzy
in a walk
in a way
in a while
in a word
in a world of one’s own
in absentia
in addition
in advance
in all
in all one’s born days
in all probability
in and of itself
in any case
in arms
in arrears
in at the death
in awe of, be
in back of
in bad
in bad faith
in bad with, be
in behalf of
in between
in between times
in black and white
in brief
in bulk
in cahoots
in care of
in case
in cement
in character
in charge
in check
in chorus
in circles
in circulation
in clover
in cold blood
in cold storage
in commission
in common
in concert
in condition
in confidence
in conscience
in consequence
in consideration of
in creation
in deep
in default of
in defiance of
in demand
in depth
in detail
in dispute
in drag
in due course
in dutch
in earnest
in effect
in effigy
in escrow
in essence
in evidence
in excess of
in exchange
in fact
in fashion
in favor of
in favor with
in fine feather
in for
in for a penny, in for a pound
in force
in front of
in full
in full swing
in general
in good condition
in good faith
in good hands
in good part
in good spirits
in good stead
in good time
in good with, be
in half
in hand
in harness
in heat
in high dudgeon
in honor of
in hopes of
in itself
in keeping with
in key
in kind
in large measure
in league with
in left field
in lieu of
in light of
in limbo
in line
in love
in luck
in memory of
in mind
in name only
in no case
in no time
in no uncertain terms
in nothing flat
in on, be
in one blow
in one breath
in one ear and out the other
in one fell swoop
in one piece
in one stroke
in one’s
in one’s behalf
in one’s blood
in one’s book
in one’s cups
in one’s element
in one’s eyes
in one’s favor
in one’s glory
in one’s hands
in one’s heart of hearts
in one’s interest
in one’s mind’s eye
in one’s name
in one’s own backyard
in one’s own right
in one’s own world
in one’s pocket
in one’s prime
in one’s right mind
in one’s sh-ll
in one’s tracks
in one’s way
in orbit
in order
in other words
in over one’s head
in part
in particular
in p-ssing
in perpetuity
in person
in phase
in place
in place of
in plain english
in play
in pocket
in point
in practice
in principle
in print
in private
in progress
in proportion
in public
in quest of
in question
in reach
in reality
in reason
in reference to
in regard to
in relation to
in reserve
in residence
in respect to
in retrospect
in return
in round numbers
in search of
in season
in secret
in seventh heaven
in shape
in short
in short order
in short supply
in sight
in single file
in so many words
in some measure
in someone’s
in someone’s bad graces
in someone’s face
in someone’s good graces
in someone’s hair
in someone’s shoes
in someone’s stead
in spades
in specie
in spite of
in state
in step
in st-tches
in stock
in store
in stride
in style
in substance
in terms of
in that
in that case
in the act
in the aggregate
in the air
in the air
in the altogether
in the back
in the bag
in the balance
in the ballpark
in the bargain
in the black
in the blood
in the bud
in the buff
in the can
in the cards
in the care of
in the case of
in the chips
in the circ-mstances
in the clear
in the clouds
in the cold light of day
in the course of
in the dark
in the dock
in the doghouse
in the doldrums
in the driver’s seat
in the dumps
in the dust, leave someone
in the end
in the event of
in the eye
in the eye of
in the face
in the face of
in the family way
in the final -n-lysis
in the first place
in the flesh
in the flush of
in the fullness of time
in the groove
in the gutter
in the hands of
in the heat of
in the hole
in the hope
in the hot seat
in the interest of
in the interim
in the know
in the lap of luxury
in the least
in the limelight
in the long run
in the loop
in the lurch
in the main
in the making
in the market for
in the middle of
in the midst
in the money
in the mood
in the mouth
in the name of
in the near future
in the neck
in the neighborhood of
in the nick of time
in the offing
in the picture, be
in the pink
in the pipeline
in the public eye
in the raw
in the red
in the right, be
in the rough
in the round
in the running
in the saddle
in the same boat
in the same breath
in the same league
in the same mold
in the second place
in the short run
in the soup
in the street
in the swim
in the teeth of
in the throes
in the twinkling of an eye
in the unlikely event
in the wake of
in the way
in the wind
in the wings
in the works
in the world
in the worst way
in the wrong
in there pitching
in thing, the
in this day and age
in time
in time
in token of
in touch, be
in tow
in trouble with
in trust
in tune
in turn
in two shakes
in unison
in up to
in vain
in view
in view of
in wait
in waiting
in with, be
in your face

, also see under
out of
.