Definition of in

What does the word in mean?

• part of speech: noun

  prep. expr. inclusion or position within limits of space, time, circumstance, &c., as: i. Europe, England, London, (so of any large city or of town &c. in which speaker lives, cf. AT), i. the house, a box, a cab, a pond, a crowd; (of dress &c.) i. muslin, mourning, white, brown boots; i. (the works of) Thackeray; (of part affected) blind i. one eye; (of ratio) not one i. a hundred; (of body &c. to which one belongs &c.) i. the army, shares i. a company; (of nonphysical regions) i. politics, fancy, my opinion; (of situation, often idiomatic) i. CLOVER, HOT water, fetters, leading-strings, the DARK, health, hope (of), sorrow, CALF, i. (supplied with) cash, i. (under influence of) liquor; (of occupation) i. search of, i. pursuance of, i. (while) crossing the river; (of form or arrangement) packed i. dozens, sold i. building-plots, falling i. folds; (of instrument or material) drank his health i. a cup of ale, the coat was i. green velvet; (of purpose) i. reply to, i. quest of, i. honour of; (of time) i. (during) the day, i. (within the space of) three months; i. itself, apart from all else, absolutely; (of person\'s capacity &c.) as far as i. me lies, did not think he had it i. him (was capable of it); not i. it, not in the running, not a serious competitor; (with vbs of motion or change) put it i. your pocket, cut it i. half, throw it i. the fire; (expr. relation of vb to indirect object), believe i., trust i., share i., engage i., rejoice i.; (so with adjj. & nn.) weak i. (as regards) algebra, wanting i. courage, your trust i. him, a change i. the constitution; (of number or dimension) seven i. number, four feet i. width; (forming adv. phr.) i. fact, i. truth, i. honour, i. any case; i. so (or as) far as, in such measure as; i. that, since, because. [old English]

• part of speech: noun

  adv. expr. position bounded by certain limits or motion to a point enclosed by them, as: come i., send him i., walk i., (into house, enclosed ground, &c.), put a notice i. (into a paper), lock him i., he is i. (the house &c., esp. =at home); i. with it, put, take, it i.; throw i. the harness (to the bargain, in addition); a coat with the woolly side i. (nearest the body); the Liberals were i. (office); (Crick.) before he had been i. (batting) five minutes; keep the fire i. (burning); train, boat, summer, is i. (arrived); (with trans, vbs) burn, cut, rub, (thing) i. (so as to penetrate into another), hem, cover, wall, (thing) i. (so as to enclose it); i. for, involved in, committed to, (usu. something unpleasant, esp. it), also, engaged in competition for (race, prize, &c.); be, keep, i. (on friendly terms) with; breed i. & i. (repeatedly within same stock); i. & out, now i., now out. [old English]

• part of speech: adjective

  Internal, living &c. inside, as i. patient, i. -patient, one who remains in hospital while under treatment.

• part of speech: noun

  (pl.) political party in office; ins& outs, turnings to& fro (usu. fig.), details (of procedure &c.).

• part of speech: preposition

  (Latin). In articulo mortis, in the instant of death; in CAMERA; in esse, in actual existence, cf. in posse explained below; in extenso, at full length; in extremis, at the point of death; in flagrante delicto, in the very act of committing an offence; in forma pauperis, as poor person not liable to costs; in loco parentis, in place of a parent; in mediasres, into the thick of it; in memoriam, in memory of; in partibus (infidelium), (of Rom. Cath. titular bishop) in a heretical country; in posse, potentially, opp. to in esse; in propria persona, in his (her) own person; in puris naturalibus, stark naked; in RE; in situ, in its (original) place; in statu quo, in the same state (as formerly); in terrorem, as a warning; in toto, completely.

• part of speech: prefix

  =Latin in-, (il- &c. as prec.) cogn. w. Greek a, an-, com.-Teut. un-, prefixed to adjj. & their derivatives to express negation. As living English pref., in- often interchanges with un-, which is preferred in wds not obviously answering to Latin types (unavailing, uncertain, undevout).

• part of speech: noun

  nothing, little, not much, in it, (racing slang) no decided advantage as yet gained by any competitor, no guessing who will win.

• part of speech: noun

  in nubibus, vague, speculative, not brought into definite shape.