inside

[in-sahyd, in-sahyd, in-sahyd, in-sahyd, in-sahyd, in-, in-sahyd]

preposition

1. on the inner side or part of; within: inside the envelope.

   inside the circle;

   inside the envelope.

2. prior to the elapse of; within.

   He promised to arrive inside an hour.

adverb

1. in or into the inner part.

   Please go inside.

2. indoors.

   They play inside on rainy days.

3. within one's heart, reason, etc.; by true nature; fundamentally.

   I know inside that he's not guilty.

   Inside, she's really very shy.

4. Slang.,  in prison.

noun

1. the inner or internal part; interior.

   the inside of the house.

   Antonyms: exterior, outside

2. the inner side or surface: He pinned the money to the inside of his jacket.

   the inside of the hand;

   He pinned the money to the inside of his jacket.

3. insides.

4. a select or inner circle of power, prestige, etc..

   a man on the inside.

5. the shortest of several parallel, curving tracks or lanes; the part of an oval track closest to the inner rail.

   The horse came up fast on the inside.

6. the inward nature, mind, feelings, etc.

7. Slang.,  confidential or secret information.

8. an inside passenger or place in a coach, carriage, etc.

adjective

1. situated or being on or in the inside; interior; internal.

   an inside seat.

2. acting, employed, done, or originating within a building or place.

   He used to work on the dock but now he has an inside job.

3. derived from the inner circle of those concerned in and having private knowledge of a situation.

   inside information.

4. Baseball.,  (of a pitched ball) passing between home plate and the batter.

   The pitch was low and inside.

inside

noun

1. the interior; inner or enclosed part or surface

2. the side of a path away from the road or adjacent to a wall

3. informal,  (also plural) the internal organs of the body, esp the stomach and bowels

4. in a period of time less than; within

5. with the inside facing outwards

6. to know something thoroughly or perfectly

preposition

1. in or to the interior of; within or to within; on the inside of

adjective

1. on or of an interior; on the inside

   an inside door

2. (prenominal) arranged or provided by someone within an organization or building, esp illicitly

   the raid was an inside job

   inside information

adverb

1. within or to within a thing or place; indoors

2. by nature; fundamentally

   inside, he's a good chap

3. slang,  in or into prison

Word History and Origins

Origin of inside¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; in, side ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. inside of, within the space or period of.

   Our car broke down again inside of a mile.

2. inside out,

   1. with the inner side reversed to face the outside.

   2. thoroughly: completely.

      She knew the work inside out.

More idioms and phrases containing inside

• on the inside
• step in (inside)

Synonym Study

Inside, interior both refer to the inner part or space within something. Inside is a common word, and is used with reference to things of any size, small or large: the inside of a pocket. Interior, somewhat more formal, denotes the inner part or the space or regions within; it usually suggests considerable size or extent, and sometimes a richness of decoration: the interior of a country, of the earth, of a cathedral.

Example Sentences

It was housed inside the former West Coast CBS headquarters where classic shows such as “I Love Lucy” were filmed and iconic musicians such as Janis Joplin and the Beach Boys recorded.

From Los Angeles Times

More than 40 marks were painted inside the passage and tomb, including fingerprints, handprints, diamond shapes and circles, and large symbols on the internal lintels.

From BBC

Stats measuring possession, passing sequences and touches inside the opposition's box are all up.

From BBC

The resident followed Bucur and found a door to a crawl space open, and light coming from inside.

From Los Angeles Times

The American political divide has grown into a bottomless chasm; fall too deeply inside, and it’s likely you may never come out.

From Salon

Related Words

• innards 
• interior 

When To Use

What does inside mean?

Inside means on the inner side of something, such as a box or your refrigerator. Inside designates physical space, like the interior of a book, but it can also be used in situations about time. If your teacher tells the class that you need to finish the test inside of an hour, they mean you need to finish it in less than, or within, an hour. When the hour has gone by, you have to be done the test.Inside can be used to mean indoors, as in Because it rained, we were stuck inside during our vacation.Inside can also be used to describe the position of something. For example, an inside wall refers to the face of a wall that faces the interior of a building.The inside of something is its interior. The inside of a house is the interior, while your insides is everything beneath the skin, such as your skeleton and organs.Example: The inside of the building was sleek and modern, while the outside looked like an old church.