Meaning of 'in' (Webster Dictionary)
- Not out; within; inside. In, the preposition, becomes an
adverb by omission of its object, leaving it as the representative of
an adverbial phrase, the context indicating what the omitted object is;
as, he takes in the situation (i. e., he comprehends it in his mind);
the Republicans were in (i. e., in office); in at one ear and out at
the other (i. e., in or into the head); his side was in (i. e., in the
turn at the bat); he came in (i. e., into the house).
- With privilege or possession; -- used to denote a holding,
possession, or seisin; as, in by descent; in by purchase; in of the
seisin of her husband.
- One who is in office; -- the opposite of out.
- A reentrant angle; a nook or corner.
- The specific signification of in is situation or place with
respect to surrounding, environment, encompassment, etc. It is used
with verbs signifying being, resting, or moving within limits, or
within circumstances or conditions of any kind conceived of as
limiting, confining, or investing, either wholly or in part. In its
different applications, it approaches some of the meanings of, and
sometimes is interchangeable with, within, into, on, at, of, and among.
- With reference to space or place; as, he lives in Boston; he
traveled in Italy; castles in the air.
- With reference to circumstances or conditions; as, he is in
difficulties; she stood in a blaze of light.
- With reference to a whole which includes or comprises the
part spoken of; as, the first in his family; the first regiment in the
army.
- With reference to physical surrounding, personal states,
etc., abstractly denoted; as, I am in doubt; the room is in darkness;
to live in fear.
- With reference to character, reach, scope, or influence
considered as establishing a limitation; as, to be in one's favor.
- With reference to movement or tendency toward a certain
limit or environment; -- sometimes equivalent to into; as, to put seed
in the ground; to fall in love; to end in death; to put our trust in
God.
- With reference to a limit of time; as, in an hour; it
happened in the last century; in all my life.
- To inclose; to take in; to harvest.
Meaning of 'in' (Princeton's WordNet)
Meaning (1):
- to or toward the inside of
Example in sentence:- come in;
- smash in the door
Meaning (2):
- currently fashionable
Example in sentence:- large shoulder pads are in;
- the in thing to do
Meaning (3):
- directed or bound inward
Example in sentence:- the in basket;
- took the in bus
Meaning (4):
- holding office
Definition
[ adv.]