in

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "in"

English[edit]

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Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English in, from Old English in, from Proto-Germanic *in (whence German in, Dutch in, Danish and Norwegian i), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én, whence also Latin in, Irish i, Welsh yn, Ancient Greek ἐν (en) (modern Greek εν (en)), Old Armenian ի (i), Old Church Slavonic въ(н) (vŭ(n)), Russian в (v), Old Prussian en, Lithuanian į.

Preposition[edit]

A ship in a bottle.
A dog in a sink.

in

  1. Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or other limits.
    1. Contained by.
      The dog is in the kennel. pickles in a jar
    2. Within the bounds or limits of.
      living in the city; a tree in the park
    3. Surrounded by; among; amidst.
      We are in the enemy camp.   Her plane is in the air.
    4. Part of; a member of; out of; from among.
      One in a million.   She's in band and orchestra.
    5. Pertaining to; with regard to.
      What grade did he get in English?
      Military letters should be formal in tone, but not stilted.
    6. During (a period of time).
      in the first week of December;  Easter falls in the fourth lunar month;   The country reached a high level of prosperity in his first term.
    7. Within a certain elapsed time; by the end of.
      Are you able to finish this in three hours?   The massacre resulted in over 1000 deaths in three hours.
    8. At the end of a period of time.
      They said they would call us in a week.
    9. (grammar, phonetics) Characterized by.
      English nouns in -ce form their plurals in -s.
  2. Into.
    • 2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3-1 Newcastle”, in BBC:
      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.
    Less water gets in your boots this way.
  3. Used to indicate limit, qualification, condition, or circumstance.
    • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4
      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.
    In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment.
    1. Indicating an order or arrangement.
      My fat rolls around in folds.
    2. Denoting a state of the subject.
      He stalked away in anger.   John is in a coma.
    3. Indicates, connotatively, a place-like form of someone's (or something's) personality, as his, her or its psychic and physical characteristics.
      You've got a friend in me.   He's met his match in her.
    4. Wearing (an item of clothing).
      I glanced over at the pretty girl in the red dress.
  4. Used to indicate means, medium, format, genre, or instrumentality.
    1. (of something offered or given in an exchange) In the form of, in the denomination of.
      Please pay me in cash — preferably in tens and twenties.
      The deposit can be in any legal tender, even in gold.
      Her generosity was rewarded in the success of its recipients.
      • 2014, Carla Bethmann, Clean, Friendly, Profitable?: Tourism, page 114:
        […] tourists sometimes attempt to pay in euros or British pounds.
    2. Used to indicate a language, script, tone, etc. of a text, speech, etc.
      Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" in C minor is among his most popular.
      His speech was in French, but was simultaneously translated into eight languages.
      When you write in cursive, it's illegible.
Hyponyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

in (third-person singular simple present ins, present participle inning, simple past and past participle inned)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To enclose.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To take in; to harvest.

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English in, from Old English inn and inne.

Adverb[edit]

in (not comparable)

  1. (not comparable) Located indoors, especially at home or the office, or inside something.
    Is Mr. Smith in?
  2. Moving to the interior of a defined space, such as a building or room.
    Suddenly a strange man walked in.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175:
      Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
  3. (sports) Still eligible to play, e.g. able to bat in cricket and baseball.
    He went for the wild toss but wasn't able to stay in.
  4. (Britain) Abbreviation of in aid of.
    What's that in?
  5. After the beginning of something.
    • 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      The Black Cats had a mountain to climb after James Morrison's header and Shane Long's neat side-foot finish gave Albion a 2-0 lead five minutes in.
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun[edit]

in (plural ins)

  1. A position of power or a way to get it.
    His parents got him an in with the company.
  2. (chiefly in the plural) One who, or that which, is in; especially, one who is in office.
    Antonym: out
    • 1827, Benjamin Chew, A Sketch of the Politics, Relations, and Statistics, of the Western World (page 192)
      This memoir has nothing to do with the question between the ins and the outs; it is intended neither to support nor to assail the administration; it is general in its views upon a general and national subject; […]
  3. (sports) The state of a batter/batsman who is currently batting; see innings.
  4. A re-entrant angle; a nook or corner.
Antonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

in (comparative more in, superlative most in)

  1. In fashion; popular.
    Skirts are in this year.
  2. Incoming.
    the in train
  3. (nautical, of the sails of a vessel) Furled or stowed.
  4. (law) With privilege or possession; used to denote a holding, possession, or seisin.
    in by descent; in by purchase; in of the seisin of her husband
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Burrill to this entry?)
  5. (cricket) Currently batting.
  6. Having familiarity or involvement with somebody.
    • 2010, Joe R. Lansdale, Flaming Zeppelins: The Adventures of Ned the Seal, page 123:
      “ […] He […] took a rifle out of the batch and shot at me. I was lucky he was such a crummy shot.”
      “Why would he do that?”
      “I think he's in with them, Doctor.”
      “Them? You mean Ned and Cody?”
      “All of them. Hickok, the split tail, the whole lot.”
Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

in (plural ins or in)

  1. Abbreviation of inch; inches.

References[edit]

  • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Bounded landmarks", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Anagrams[edit]

Abinomn[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

in

  1. he; she

Afrikaans[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Dutch in.

Adverb[edit]

in

  1. in; inside; within

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in
  2. into

Ayomán[edit]

Noun[edit]

in

  1. water

References[edit]

  • Luis Oramas, Materiales para el estudio de los dialectos Ayamán, Gayón, Jirajara, Ajagua (1916)

Baure[edit]

Noun[edit]

in

  1. water

References[edit]

  • Swintha Danielsen, Baure: An Arawak Language of Bolivia

Chinese[edit]

For pronunciation and definitions of in – see 𪜶 (“they; them; their; theirs; etc.”).
(This character, in, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 𪜶.)

Chuukese[edit]

Noun[edit]

in

  1. mother

Cimbrian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle High German in, from Old High German in, from Proto-Germanic *in (“in”). Cognate with German in, English in.

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. (Luserna, + dative) in

Alternative forms[edit]

  • inn (Sette Comuni)

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle High German in, from Old High German inan. Cognate with German ihn.

Pronoun[edit]

in

  1. (Sette Comuni) accusative of èar: him
Alternative forms[edit]

See also[edit]

Cimbrian personal pronouns
nominative accusative dative
1st person singular ich mich miar
2nd person singular familiar du dich diar
polite iart ach òich
3rd person singular m èar, ar in, en iime
f zi, ze iar
n es, is es, 's iime
1st person plural bar, bandare zich izandarn
2nd person plural iart, artandare,
iart-andare		 òich, ach ogandarn
3rd person plural ze, zòi, zandare zich innandarn

Etymology 3[edit]

Article[edit]

in

  1. (Sette Comuni, Luserna) the; definite article for two declensions:
    1. accusative singular masculine
    2. dative plural

See also[edit]

Cimbrian definite articles
Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural
Nominative dar de / di 's / z de / di
Accusative in de / di 's / z de / di
Dative me dar me in

References[edit]

  • “in” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo
  • “in” in Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Classical Nahuatl[edit]

Article[edit]

in

  1. the

Pronoun[edit]

in, īn

  1. (demonstrative) this; these

Related terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • Michel Launey; Christopher Mackay (2011) An Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Amazon Kindle: Cambridge University Press, pages Loc 1408

Danish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

in (neuter in, plural and definite singular attributive in)

  1. (colloquial) fashionable, in

Antonyms[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Dutch in, from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *en.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

in

  1. in, inside
  2. (postpositional) into
    De jongen rende het huis in.
    The boy ran into the house.

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in; expressing containment.
    De geest in de fles
    the genie in the bottle

Inflection[edit]

Pronominal adverbs of in
preposition in
postpositional adv. in
+ het (it) erin
+ dit (this) hierin
+ dat (that) daarin
+ wat (what) waarin
+ iets (something) ergens in
+ niets (nothing) nergens in
+ alles (everything) overal in

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Adjective[edit]

in (used only predicatively, not comparable)

  1. in style

Verb[edit]

in

  1. first-person singular present indicative of innen
  2. imperative of innen

Emilian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin inde (“thence”). Cognate with Catalan en, French en, Italian ne.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /in/
  • Hyphenation: in

Pronoun[edit]

in (adverbial)

  1. (genitive case) of it, of them
    Vô-t di pām? A t’in dāg dû.
    Do you want some apples? I will give you two (of them).
  2. (genitive case) about it, about them
    A t’in avîva descòurs ajêr.
    I talked to you about it yesterday.
  3. (ablative case) from here
    A sòun stùf, a m’in vāg.
    I am tired, I am leaving (from here).

Alternative forms[edit]

  • Becomes n- before a vowel (proclitic).
A-g n-ò dimándi. ― I have a lot (of them).
  • Becomes -en when acting as an enclitic (after a consonant).
Mānjen un pōk! ― Eat some of it! (imperative, singular)
  • Becomes -n when acting as an enclitic (after a vowel).
Manjēn un pōk! ― Eat some of it! (imperative, plural)

Friulian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin in, from Proto-Italic *en, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”).

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old High German in, from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én. Cognate with English in.

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. (with dative) in, within, at, to, (contained by; within)
    Es ist in dem Haus. ― It is in house.
  2. (with dative) in (pertaining to)
  3. (with dative) in (at the end of or during a period of time)
  4. (with accusative) into (going inside (of))
    Er geht ins Haus. ― He goes into the house.
Usage notes[edit]

The preposition in is used with accusative case if the verb shows movement from one place to another, whereas it is used with dative case if the verb shows location.

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Contraction[edit]

in

  1. (dated) Contraction of in den.

Etymology 3[edit]

Borrowed from English in.

Adjective[edit]

in (not comparable)

  1. in, popular (in fashion)
Declension[edit]
Declension of in
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist in sie ist in es ist in sie sind in
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative — — — —
genitive — — — —
dative — — — —
accusative — — — —
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative — — — —
genitive — — — —
dative — — — —
accusative — — — —
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative — — — —
genitive — — — —
dative — — — —
accusative — — — —

Gothic[edit]

Romanization[edit]

in

  1. Romanization of 𐌹𐌽

Interlingua[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in

Irish[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in (plus dative, triggers eclipsis)

  1. Alternative form of i

Usage notes[edit]

This variant of i is used before vowel-initial words, before bhur (“your pl”), before dhá (“two”), before titles of books, films, and the like, and before foreign words that resist mutation.

In older texts, the n is spelled together with a vowel-initial word (e.g. i n-aice le instead of modern in aice le (“beside”) and i nÉirinn or i n-Éirinn instead of modern in Éirinn (“in Ireland”). Also in older texts, in bhur may be spelled i nbhur.

Istriot[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin in.

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in; on
    • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
      Cume li va puleîto in alto mare!
      How they row well on the high seas!

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin in, from Old Latin en, from Proto-Italic *en, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in
    Ho qualcosa in tasca. ― I have got something in my pocket.
    Partirò in primavera. ― I will be leaving in spring.
    Vado in quinta elementare. ― I'm in fifth grade of elementary school.
  2. to
    Sono andato in panetteria. ― I went to the bakery.
    Vado in quinta elementare. ― I go to fifth grade of elementary school.
  3. into
  4. by
    Vado a scuola in autobus. ― I go to school by bus.
  5. on
    Ho messo un cappello in testa. ― I put a hat on my head.
    Metti il pane in tavola. ― Put the bread on the table.

Usage notes[edit]

  • When followed by the definite article, in is combined with the article to produce the following combined forms:
in + article Combined form
in + il nel
in + lo nello
in + l' nell'
in + i nei
in + gli negli
in + la nella
in + le nelle

Anagrams[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

in

  1. Rōmaji transcription of いん

Ladin[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in

Latin[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Latin en, from Proto-Italic *en, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”). Cognates include Ancient Greek ἐν (en), Old Prussian en and Old English in (English in).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in (+ accusative, ablative)

  1. (+ ablative) in, at, on, upon, from (space)
    • 29 bc. Vergil. Georgics, III
      omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve
      et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres
      in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt
      So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
      whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged,
      collapse into the frenzies and the fire.
    • Seneca
      venenum in auro bibitur
      Poison is drunk from a gold cup.
  2. (+ dative) within, while in (time)
  3. (+ accusative) into, to
    • 29 bc. Vergil. Georgics, III
      omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve
      et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres
      in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt
      So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
      whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged,
      collapse into the frenzies and the fire.
    • 1774, Finnur Jónsson, Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ 1:
      De introductione religionis Christianæ in Islandiam.
      On the introduction of Christianity to Iceland.
  4. (+ accusative) about
  5. (+ accusative) according to
  6. (+ accusative) against

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Aromanian: ãn
  • Catalan: en
  • Dalmatian: en
  • Franco-Provençal: en
  • French: en
  • Friulian: in
  • Italian: in
  • Occitan: en
  • Portuguese: em
  • Romanian: în
  • Romansch: en
  • Sicilian: n
  • Spanish: en

Quotations[edit]

Ligurian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin in, from Old Latin en, from Proto-Italic *en, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

in

  1. in
in + article Combined form
in + o ne-o
in + a ne-a
in + i ne-i
in + e ne-e
Synonyms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

With iotacism, from un (“a, an”, indefinite article).

Pronunciation[edit]