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.
The ball was accidentally kickedin Kevin Nolan's face in the opening seconds of the contest – an incident that set the tone for an extremely uncomfortable encounter for the Premier League side.
By (doing something);indicating action causing an effect or achieving a purpose.
In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment.
In trying to make amends, she actually made matters worse.
My aimin travelling there was to find my missing friend.
In returning to the vault, I had no very sure purpose in mind; only a vague surmise that this finding of Blackbeard's coffin would somehow lead to the finding of his treasure.
Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, strugglingin, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
Towards the speaker or other reference point.
They flewin from London last night.
For six hours the tide flowsin, then for another six hours it flows out.
So as to be enclosed or surrounded by something.
Bring the water to the boil and drop the vegetablesin.
After the beginning of something.
The show still didn't become interesting 20 minutesin.
2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, inBBC Sport[2]:
The Black Cats had a mountain to climb after James Morrison's header and Shane Long's neat side-foot finish gave Albion a 2-0 lead five minutesin.
(in combination, after a verb)Denotes a gathering of people assembled for the stated activity, sometimes, though not always, suggesting a protest.
1987 February 1, T. R. Witomski, “Zeitgeist or Poltergeist? Why Gay Books Are So Bad”, inGay Community News, volume14, number28, page 9:
Holleran's and White's diminishing capacities as writers does not affect their publishingins': the writer the house knows is always better than the writer the house doesn't know.
(chiefly in theplural) One who, or that which, is in; especially, one who is in office.
1827, Benjamin Chew,A Sketch of the Politics, Relations, and Statistics, of the Western World, page192:
This memoir has nothing to do with the question between theins and theouts; it is intended neither to support nor to assail the administration; it is general in its views upon a general and national subject;[…]
2010, Joe R. Lansdale,Flaming Zeppelins: The Adventures of Ned the Seal, page123:
“[…] He[…] took a rifle out of the batch and shot at me. I was lucky he was such a crummy shot.” “Why would he do that?” “I think he'sin with them, Doctor.” “Them? You mean Ned and Cody?” “All of them. Hickok, the split tail, the whole lot.”
(informal) Having a favourable position, such as a position of influence or expected gain, in relation to another person.
I need to keepin with the neighbours in case I ever need a favour from them.
I think that bird fancies you. You'rein there, mate!
2004, The Streets, “Could Well Be In”:
I saw this thing on ITV the other week, Said, that if she played with her hair, she's probably keen She's playing with her hair, well regularly, So I reckon I could well bein.
He turned and started making up the range to keep the firein overnight, and heard the front door click and Grant’s motor fire up. Sleep. He needed to sleep.
2025 June 3, Mark O’Connell, “‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star”, inThe Guardian[8], archived fromthe original on7 June 2025:
Donaldson is not by any means one of God’s chosen entertainment-industry stars. He’s not especially handsome, and neither is he particularly funny-looking. At 6ft 5in, and with the sparse reddish beard he nowadays sports, he has the charmingly awkward aspect of a teen who has recently put on a growth spurt and hasn’t quite settled into himself.
^Alexander M[ansfield] Burrill (1850–1851), “IN”, inA New Law Dictionary and Glossary:[…], volume(please specify |part= or |volume=I or II), New York, N.Y.: John S. Voorhies,[…],→OCLC.
Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Bounded landmarks", inThe Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8
“in” inMartalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974),Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo
“in”, inKielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][10] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki:Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland),2004–, retrieved2 July 2023
The prepositionin is used with the accusative case if the verb shows movement from one place to another, whereas it is used with the dative case if the verb shows location.
This variant ofi is used before vowel-initial words, beforebhur(“yourpl”), beforedhá(“two”), before titles of books, films, and the like, and before foreign words that resist mutation.
In older texts, then is spelled together with a vowel-initial word (e.g.i n-aice le instead of modernin aice le(“beside”) andinÉirinn orin-Éirinn instead of moderninÉirinn(“in Ireland”). Also in older texts,inbhur may be spelledinbhur.
omne adeo genvsin terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt
So far does every specieson earth of man and beast, whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged, collapse into the frenzies and the fire.
omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres in fvrias ignemqve rvvnt
So far does every species on earth of man and beast, whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged, collapseinto the frenzies and the fire.
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In the West Saxon dialect, this word was replaced byon during the separate prehistory of Old English. However, it was still used as a prefix to form many words such asingang(“entrance”),inġewinn(“civil war”),inġeþanc(“inner thoughts”),inlendisċ(“native”),intinga(“cause”), andinweorc(“indoor work”), and it was still implied by derived adverbs such asinne(“inside”),innan(“from the inside”), andinn (“in,” adverb).
Unknown. Probably related to Middle Welsha(interrogative particle). Then may be from Proto-Celtic*ne (compare Latin-ne(interrogative particle).[1] Has been compared to Latinan(“or, whether”,interrogative particle).[2]
Certainly cognate withMiddle Welsh andWelshyn(predicate marker); possibly originally the masculine/neuter dative singular of the definite article (seeetymology 1).[3]
Alternatively from a prepositionProto-Celtic*endo, governing the dative, a compound of*en(“in”) and*do(“to”)[4]
^Pedersen, Holger (1909),Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen [Comparative Grammar of the Celtic Languages] (in German), volume I, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht,→ISBN,page391
Canti seddiin crassi tóia? ―How many are youin your class?
Paràuri ischrittiin rùiu ―Words writtenin red
Fabeddàbaniin sassaresu ―They were speaking (in) Sassarese
1866, chapter III, inGiovanni Spano, transl.,L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew][11] (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), London, translation ofEvangelium secundum Matthaeum, verse 1,page 7:
In chissi dì poi vinisi Giuanni Battilta pridigghendiin lu diseltu di la Giudea
In those days, then came John the Baptist, preachingin the desert of Judaea
1989, Giovanni Maria Cherchi, “Puisia [Poetry]”, inLa poesia di l'althri [The poetry of others], Sassari: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, page19:
E s’ammenta di nommi immintigaddi, un basgiu dazi a facci risurani, chi più no li vidia chein sonni fei
And she remembers forgotten names, gives a kiss to smiling faces she would only see againin nightmares
(literally, “And she remembers herself of forgotten names, a kiss gives to laughing faces, which she didn't see anymore exceptin bad dreams”)
1952, Arie de Jong,Diatek nulik: Gospul ma ‚Matthaeus’. Kapit: VII:
E kis-li? Logol cipiin log bloda olik, e bemiin log olik no küpol!
Why do you observe the splinterin your brother’s eye and never notice the great login your own?
1940, “Pötü yelacen”, inVolapükagased pro Nedänapükans, page 1:
In Siyop ya dü yels mödik krigastad bevü Yapän e Tsyinän dareigon, edin Yurop krig jenon bevü Deutän e Polän, Linglän e Fransän, e bevü Rusän e Suomiyän.
In Asia, a state of war has been going on for years between Japan and China, andin Europe war is being waged between Germany and Poland, England and France, and between Russia and Finland.
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor,A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published1867,page84
1 Except foryín, object pronouns have a high tone following a low or mid tone monosyllabic verb, and a mid tone following a high tone. For complex verbs, the tone does not change.
