into
Americanpreposition
-
to the inside of; in toward.
He walked into the room. The train chugged into the station.
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toward or in the direction of.
going into town.
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to a point of contact with; against.
backed into a parked car.
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(used to indicate insertion or immersion in).
plugged into the socket.
-
(used to indicate entry, inclusion, or introduction in a place or condition).
received into the church.
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to the state, condition, or form assumed or brought about.
went into shock; lapsed into disrepair; translated into another language.
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to the occupation, action, possession, circumstance, or acceptance of.
went into banking; coerced into complying.
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(used to indicate a continuing extent in time or space).
lasted into the night; far into the distance.
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(used to indicate the number to be divided by another number).
2 into 20 equals 10.
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Informal. interested or absorbed in, especially obsessively.
She's into yoga and gardening.
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Slang. in debt to.
I'm into him for ten dollars.
adjective
preposition
-
to the interior or inner parts of
to look into a case
-
to the middle or midst of so as to be surrounded by
into the water
into the bushes
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against; up against
he drove into a wall
-
used to indicate the result of a transformation or change
he changed into a monster
-
maths used to indicate a dividend
three into six is two
-
informal interested or enthusiastically involved in
I'm really into Freud these days
Etymology
Origin of into
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; in + to
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The suspected gunman was taken into police custody without incident, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
Nasdaq in late March paved the way for fast-tracking SpaceX into the Nasdaq 100, its premier index.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
Fujimori was thrust into Peru’s notoriously messy politics in 1994 at age 19.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
He said a "meticulous" and "systematic" search began after the initial emergency response, with teams dividing the crash site into separate zones.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
In June 1969, Joey graduates from college and is accepted into graduate school at Middlebury College, where she earns a master’s degree in Spanish literature.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
