in
Language: English
Part of speech: prep
Pronunciation: note: stressed form
enpr: ĭn
ipa: /ɪn/
note: stressed form
enpr: ən
ipa: /ən/
ipa: /ɘn/
rhymes: -ɪn
homophone: an (unstressed form)
homophone: and (unstressed form)
homophone: inn
Forms: form: i'
Etymology: PIE word
 *h₁en
Preposition and verb from Middle English in, from Old English in, from Proto-Germanic *in.
Adverb, noun and adjective from Middle English in, from Old English inn and inne, from Proto-Germanic *innai.
Sense 1/2 "in"/"into" are from the original PIE prefix, with locative/accusative case respectively. Sense 3/4 "qualification"/"means" are from the PIE metaphor of all infinitives coming from locatives.
Senses: examples: text: The dog is in the kennel.
text: There were three pickles in a jar.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Contained by; inside.
examples: text: I like living in the city.
text: There are lots of trees in the park.
text: He sat in the chair.
text: She stood in the spotlight.
text: GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory.
ref: 2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Within the bounds or limits of.
examples: text: We are in the enemy camp.
text: Her plane is in the air.
text: Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Surrounded by; among; amidst.
examples: I glanced over at the pretty girl in the red dress.
Who’s the blonde in the sunhat over there?
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Wearing (an item of clothing).
examples: text: There wasn't much of interest in her speech.
text: He hasn't got an original idea in him.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Expressing abstract containment.
examples: text: You are one in a million.
text: She's in an orchestra.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Part of; a member of; out of; from among.
examples: text: My birthday is in the first week of December.
text: Easter falls in the fourth lunar month.
text: The country reached a high level of prosperity in his first term.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
During (a period of time).
examples: text: Will you be able to finish this in a week?
text: The massacre resulted in over 1000 deaths in three hours.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Within (a certain elapsed time); by the end of.
examples: text: They said they would call us in a week.
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
At the end of (a period of time).
examples: text: Many English nouns in -is form their plurals in -es, while those in kn- are pronounced just /n/-.
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
phonetics
phonology
sciences
glosses: Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or abstract limits.
Characterized by.
examples: text: Less water gets in your boots this way.
text: She stood there looking in the window longingly.
text: The ball was accidentally kicked in Kevin Nolan's face in the opening seconds of the contest – an incident that set the tone for an extremely uncomfortable encounter for the Premier League side.
ref: 2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3-1 Newcastle”, in BBC:
glosses: Into.
examples: text: In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment.
text: In trying to make amends, she actually made matters worse.
text: My aim in travelling there was to find my missing friend.
text: In returning to the vault, I had no very sure purpose in mind; only a vague surmise that this finding of Blackbeard's coffin would somehow lead to the finding of his treasure.
ref: [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
glosses: By (doing something); indicating action causing an effect or achieving a purpose.
examples: text: My fat rolls around in folds.
text: The planes flew over in waves.
text: Arrange the chairs in a circle.
glosses: Indicating an order or arrangement.
examples: text: He stalked away in anger.
text: John is in a coma.
text: My fruit trees are in bud.
text: The company is in profit.
glosses: Denoting a state of the subject.
examples: text: You've got a friend in me.
text: He's met his match in her.
glosses: Indicates, connotatively, a place-like form of someone's (or something's) personality, as his, her or its psychic and physical characteristics.
examples: text: There has been no change in his condition.
text: What grade did he get in English?
glosses: Pertaining to; with regard to.
examples: text: Please pay me in cash — preferably in tens and twenties.
text: The deposit can be in any legal tender, even in gold.
text: Her generosity was rewarded in the success of its recipients.
text: […] tourists sometimes attempt to pay in euros or British pounds.
ref: 2014, Carla Bethmann, Clean, Friendly, Profitable?: Tourism, page 114:
glosses: Used to indicate means, medium, format, genre, or instrumentality.
In the form of, in the denomination of.
raw_tags: of something offered or given in an exchange
examples: text: Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" in C minor is among his most popular.
text: His speech was in French, but was simultaneously translated into eight languages.
text: When you write in cursive, it's illegible.
text: Military letters should be formal in tone, but not stilted.
glosses: Used to indicate means, medium, format, genre, or instrumentality.
Used to indicate a language, script, tone, etc. of a text, speech, etc.
Derived terms: 6in4
add-in
bail in
ben
built-in
calcin
caytaxin
come in
drop-in
end in
grid-in
herein
inable
inband
in between
inbetwixt
inblown
inborne
inbound
inbox
inbreath
inburnt
inburst
inclearing
incross
indeed
indegree
indrift
indriven
in-fill
infill
in-flight
in-footed
inframe
in funds
ingate
ingoer
ingoing
inkneed
inlane
inlier
inlink
inly
inmeats
inmost
innage
innermost
inness
in one's eyes
inorder
inpatient
inplane
inroad
inrun
inservice
inshave
inshoot
inside
insole
in someone's eyes
insomuch
insooth
insourcing
inspan
in-state
instead
instead of
instealing
in steam
instore
instroke
insucking
inswinging
inswung
intext
into
intoed
intown
inwards
inwash
inwicking
inworld
live-in
mixin
opt-in
piss in the popcorn
plugin
puss in a bag
therein
tuck-in
wherein
whipper-in
within
Related terms: in a hurry
in a jiffy
in haste
in love
in situ
in tatters
in the long term
in the short term
in turn