inside

[ preposition in-sahyd, in-sahyd; adverb in-sahyd; noun in-sahyd; adjective 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 ( def 1 ).
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. inside of
   in a period of time less than; within
5. inside out
   with the inside facing outwards
6. know something inside out
   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

   inside information

   the raid was an inside job

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

Usage

See outside

Word History and Origins

Origin of inside¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. inside of, Informal. 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

Instead of studying cells in a lab dish, the scientists used advanced computer modeling to analyze how molecular networks inside ciliate and mammalian cells respond to different patterns of stimulation.

From Science Daily

Church officials launched an investigation after the October 2023 music video release for Carpenter's hit song Feather, filmed inside the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

From BBC

Hezbollah’s own attacks have killed at least 31 soldiers and 45 civilians inside Israel, Israeli authorities say.

From BBC

The more you listen, the deeper the sound gets inside you.

From Los Angeles Times

The lawyer's combative and sometimes aggressive tone elicited gasps from the public and the media inside the courtroom, and several people shook their heads in disbelief.

From BBC

Related Words

• indoors

More About Inside

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.

Where does inside come from?

The first records of the term inside come from the mid-1300s. It combines the terms in, which is used to indicate inclusion within something, and side, referring to a surface of something.

Inside has some slang uses as well. If you want to say someone is in prison, you can say they are inside. But a person on the inside refers to someone in a position of power within a group who is secretly loyal or helpful to someone who is not part of that group. Inside information is information known only to those within an organization that outsiders are not supposed to know.

The phrase inside out refers to something whose insides are now facing out, such as with a sock. But if you know something inside out, you know something completely. You know both its external portions and structure and its inner, complex workings. If you keep studying the dictionary, you’ll eventually know words inside out and be a language insider!

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to inside?

• insider (noun)

What are some synonyms for inside?

• indoors
• innards
• interior

What are some words that share a root or word element with inside? 

• in
• side
• inside of
• inside out

What are some words that often get used in discussing inside?

• building
• outside
• walls

How is inside used in real life?

Inside is a very common word with several meanings.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy our Sounds of the Week for an exclusive look inside the win over Buffalo.#FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/zCnJCxof2p

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 31, 2019

Inside the home dressing room… 👕👀https://t.co/TJfP0JhBuG#CHEWAT pic.twitter.com/hSBX7Dw6vU

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 5, 2019

I finished a 5 mile walk back at my dock. There was #sunshine #wind & #rain all inside an hour. My @markandlona gear was the #righttoolforthejob #quickthinking pic.twitter.com/Qu4r3bDfgo

— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) September 2, 2019

 

Try using inside!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for inside?

A. interior
B. innards
C. outside
D. indoors