within

[ with-in, with- ]

adverb

1. in or into the interior or inner part; inside.
2. in or into a house, building, etc.; indoors:

   The fire was burning on the hearth within.

3. on, or as regards, the inside; internally.
4. inside an enclosed place, area, room, etc.:

   He was startled by a cry from within.

5. in the mind, heart, or soul; inwardly.

preposition

1. in or into the interior of or the parts or space enclosed by:

   within city walls.

2. inside of; in.
3. in the compass or limits of; not beyond:

   within view;

   to live within one's income.

4. at or to some point not beyond, as in length or distance; not farther than:

   within a radius of a mile.

5. at or to some amount or degree not exceeding:

   within two degrees of freezing.

6. in the course or period of, as in time:

   within one's memory;

   within three minutes.

7. inside of the limits fixed or required by; not transgressing:

   within the law.

8. in the field, sphere, or scope of:

   within the family;

   within one's power.

noun

1. the inside of a place, space, or building.

within

/ wɪˈðɪn /

preposition

1. in; inside; enclosed or encased by
2. before (a period of time) has elapsed

   within a week

3. not beyond the limits of; not differing by more than (a specified amount) from

   within seconds of the world record

   live within your means

adverb

1. formal.
   inside; internally

Word History and Origins

Origin of within¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English withinne (preposition and adverb), Old English withinnan (adverb), equivalent to with with- + innan “from within,” equivalent to in in + -an, suffix of motion

Idioms and Phrases

• in (within) reason
• spitting distance, within
• wheels within wheels

Example Sentences

The newly imaged star, WOH G64, lies within the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the small galaxies that orbits the Milky Way.

From Science Daily

But if a poisoning is diagnosed quickly enough, ideally within the first 30 hours, treatment can reduce some of the worse effects.

From BBC

Spurs scored twice within 10 minutes of Duran coming on for Rogers, after which the game became stretched as Villa’s front two - both making forward runs – pulled the team lengthways and emptied midfield.

From BBC

“The isolation and mutual dependency…provided a culture within which unusual and harmful behaviours could develop,” the judge wrote.

From BBC

They found that the bacterial composition within the lab-grown community was balanced and similar to those found in Japanese skin.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• in
• inside