in

A1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /ɪn/ UK /ɪn/ See IPA manual

Homophones

inn /ɪn/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like een /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Freq #11

Meanings

1

prep
Inside a place, container, or area.

The dog is in the kennel.
2

prep
During a period of time.

My birthday is in July.
3

prep
Showing the state, condition, or way someone or something is.

He walked away in anger.
4

prep
By means of doing something.

In trying to help, she only made things worse.
5

adj
Currently popular or fashionable.

Bright colours are really in this summer.

Thesaurus

Opposites

out

Word family

Forms ins

Derived forms add-inbenbuilt-incalcincaytaxindrop-ingrid-inhereinin-fillin-flightin-footedin-state

Appears in

Phrases (51)

See all

believe in
To have faith, trust, or confidence in something or someone; to think that something exists or is right.

Verb + preposition/particle
perform in a play
to act as a cast member in a theatrical production

Verb + noun
sit in on
to attend a meeting or class as a silent observer rather than an active participant

Verb + preposition/particle
bask in
to relax while enjoying warmth or sunlight

Verb + preposition/particle
abound in
to be present in great numbers or amounts in a place

Verb + preposition/particle
blend in
to mix an ingredient thoroughly into another substance

Verb + adverb

Idioms (99)

See all

a blessing in disguise
Something that seems bad at first but turns out to have a good outcome.
ants in your pants
To be unable to keep still because you are restless or excited.
bear in mind
to remember and consider something when making a decision
bury one's head in the sand
to ignore an unpleasant reality hoping it will go away
fall in line
to obey or accept the rules and expectations set by a group or authority
hang in there
to persevere and not give up despite difficulty

Tongue twisters (3)

See all

Betty Botter
Betty Botter bought some butter. “But,” she said, “this butter’s bitter; If I put it in my batter, It will make my batter bitter; But a bit of better butter Will but make my batter better.” So she bought a bit of butter Better than the bitter butter, And made her bitter batter better. So it was better Betty Botter Bought a bit of better butter.

Compare the vowels in bit, better, batter and butter while keeping /b/ steady. Use your normal accent for the middle consonant of Betty, ...
Sift the Thistles
Fill the sieve with thistles, then sift the thistles in the sieve.

Contrast /θ/ at the start of thistles with /s/ in sieve and sift. The written t in thistles is silent; sieve rhymes with give.
The Fish-Sauce Shop
She stood at the door of Mrs. Smith’s fish-sauce shop in the Strand welcoming him in.

Separate the /s/ in sauce from the /ʃ/ in fish and shop. In Smith’s, move from /θ/ into the final /s/ before beginning fish.

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.

in Old English *in Proto-Germanic inn Old English *innai Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# in

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** prep, adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 11

## Meanings
1. Inside a place, container, or area.
2. During a period of time.
3. Showing the state, condition, or way someone or something is.
4. By means of doing something.
5. Currently popular or fashionable.

## Examples
- The dog is in the kennel.
- My birthday is in July.
- He walked away in anger.
- In trying to help, she only made things worse.
- Bright colours are really in this summer.

## Antonyms
- out

## Derived Forms
- add-in
- ben
- built-in
- calcin
- caytaxin
- drop-in
- grid-in
- herein
- in-fill
- in-flight
- in-footed
- in-state

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: in
- Root: *in
- Root: inn
- Root: *innai

## 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.

## AI Etymology
In has Proto-Indo-European base *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. In current use, the main senses are “Inside a place, container, or area” and “During a period of time”.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

markdown

in

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (51)

Idioms (99)

Tongue twisters (3)

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback