American Heritage Dictionary Entry: in HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com in- 1 or il- or im- or ir- Share: Tweet pref. Not: inarticulate. Before l, in- is usually assimilated to il-; before r to ir-; and before b, m, and p to im-. See Usage Note at un-1. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin; see ne in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. in 1 (ĭn) Share: Tweet prep. 1. a. Within the limits, bounds, or area of: was hit in the face; born in the spring; a chair in the garden. b. From the outside to a point within; into: threw the letter in the wastebasket. 2. To or at a situation or condition of: was split in two; in debt; a woman in love. 3. a. Having the activity, occupation, or function of: a life in politics; the officer in command. b. During the act or process of: tripped in racing for the bus. 4. a. With the arrangement or order of: fabric that fell in luxuriant folds; arranged to purchase the car in equal payments. b. After the style or form of: a poem in iambic pentameter. 5. With the characteristic, attribute, or property of: a tall man in an overcoat. 6. a. By means of: paid in cash. b. Made with or through the medium of: a statue in bronze; a note written in German. 7. With the aim or purpose of: followed in pursuit. 8. With reference to: six inches in depth; has faith in your judgment. 9. Used to indicate the second and larger term of a ratio or proportion: saved only one in ten. adv. 1. To or toward the inside: opened the door and stepped in. 2. To or toward a destination or goal: The mob closed in. 3. Sports So as to score, as by crossing home plate in baseball: singled the runner in. 4. Within a place, as of business or residence: The manager is in before anyone else. 5. So as to be available or under one's control: We can proceed when all the evidence is in. 6. So as to include or incorporate: Fold in the egg whites. 7. So as to occupy a position of success or favor: campaigned hard and was voted in. 8. In a particular relationship: got in bad with their supervisor. adj. 1. Located inside; inner. 2. Incoming; inward: took the in bus. 3. Holding office; having power: the in party. 4. Informal a. Currently fashionable: the in thing to wear this season. b. Concerned with or attuned to the latest fashions: the in crowd. See Synonyms at fashionable. 5. Relating to, understandable to, or coming from an exclusive group: an in reference. n. 1. One that has position, influence, or power: the ins against the outs. 2. Informal Influence; power: had an in with the authorities.Idioms: in for Guaranteed to get or have: You're in for a big surprise. in on Informed about; participating in: Only one business partner was not in on the illegal scheme. in that For the reason that. [Middle English, from Old English; see en in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. in- 2 or il- or im- or ir- Share: Tweet pref. 1. In; into; within: inundation. Before l, in- is usually assimilated to il-; before r to ir-; and before b, m, and p to im-. 2. Variant of en-1. [Middle English, from Old English (from in, in; see IN1) and from Old French (from Latin, from in, in, within; see en in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. in 2 or in. Share: Tweet abbr. inch The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. IN Share: Tweet abbr. Indiana The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. In Share: Tweet The symbol for indium. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. -in Share: Tweet suff. 1. Neutral chemical compound, especially: a. Neutral carbohydrate: inulin. b. Protein or protein derivative: albumin. c. Lipid or lipid derivative: lecithin. d. Enzyme: pancreatin. e. Glycoside: chitin. 2. A pharmaceutical: rifampin. 3. An antibiotic: penicillin. 4. Antigen: tuberculin. 5. Variant of -ine2. [Variant of -INE2.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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