be for

preposition

(used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits): walking in the park.

(used to indicate inclusion within something abstract or immaterial): in politics; in the autumn.

(used to indicate inclusion within or occurrence during a period or limit of time): in ancient times; a task done in ten minutes.

(used to indicate limitation or qualification, as of situation, condition, relation, manner, action, etc.): to speak in a whisper; to be similar in appearance.

(used to indicate means): sketched in ink; spoken in French.

(used to indicate motion or direction from outside to a point within) into: Let's go in the house.

(used to indicate transition from one state to another): to break in half.

(used to indicate object or purpose): speaking in honor of the event.

adverb

in or into some place, position, state, relation, etc.: Please come in.

10.

on the inside; within.

11.

in one's house or office.

12.

in office or power.

13.

in possession or occupancy.

14.

having the turn to play, as in a game.

15.

Baseball. (of an infielder or outfielder) in a position closer to home plate than usual; short: The third baseman played in, expecting a bunt.

16.

on good terms; in favor: He's in with his boss, but he doubts it will last.

17.

in vogue; in style: He says straw hats will be in this year.

18.

in season: Watermelons will soon be in.

00:10

Be for is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

adjective

19.

located or situated within; inner; internal: the in part of a mechanism.

20.

Informal.

in favor with advanced or sophisticated people; fashionable; stylish: the in place to dine; Her new novel is the in book to read this summer.

comprehensible only to a special or ultrasophisticated group: an in joke.

21.

well-liked; included in a favored group.

22.

inward; incoming; inbound: an in train.

23.

plentiful; available.

24.

being in power, authority, control, etc.: a member of the in party.

25.

playing the last nine holes of an eighteen-hole golf course (opposed to out ): His in score on the second round was 34.

noun

26.

Usually, ins. persons in office or political power (distinguished from outs ).

27.

a member of the political party in power: The election made him an in.

28.

pull or influence; a social advantage or connection: He's got an in with the senator.

29.

(in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) a return or service that lands within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court (opposed to out ).

verb (used with object) British Dialect.

30.

to enclose.

Idioms

31.

be in for, to be bound to undergo something, especially a disagreeable experience: We are in for a long speech.

32.

in for it, Slang. about to suffer chastisement or unpleasant consequences, especially of one's own actions or omissions: I forgot our anniversary again, and I'll be in for it now. Also, British, for it.

33.

in that, because; inasmuch as: In that you won't have time for supper, let me give you something now.

34.

in with, on friendly terms with; familiar or associating with: They are in with all the important people.

Origin:
before 900; 1925–30 for def 28; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German, Dutch, Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Gothic in, Old Norse ī, Latin in, Greek en, Lithuanian į

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

in¹ (ɪn)

—*prep*
1.	inside; within: no smoking in the auditorium
2.	at a place where there is: lying in the shade; walking in the rain
3.	indicating a state, situation, or condition: in a deep sleep; standing in silence
4.	before or when (a period of time) has elapsed: come back in one year
5.	using (a language, etc) as a means of communication: written in code
6.	concerned or involved with, esp as an occupation: in journalism
7.	while or by performing the action of; as a consequence of or by means of: in crossing the street he was run over
8.	used to indicate goal or purpose: in honour of the president
9.	(used of certain animals) about to give birth to; pregnant with (specified offspring): in foal; in calf
10.	a variant of into : she fell in the water; he tore the paper in two
11.	( often foll by an infinitive ) have it in one to have the ability (to do something)
12.	informal (Austral) in it joining in; taking part
13.	(conjunction) in that, in so far as because or to the extent that; inasmuch as: I regret my remark in that it upset you
14.	nothing in it no difference or interval between two things

—*adv*
15.	in or into a particular place; inward or indoors: come in; bring him in
16.	so as to achieve office, power, or authority: the Conservatives got in at the last election
17.	so as to enclose: block in; cover in a hole
18.	(in certain games) so as to take one's turn or one's team's turn at a certain aspect of the play; taking one's innings: you have to get the other side out before you go in
19.	(Brit) (of a fire) alight: do you keep the fire in all night?
20.	(in combination) indicating an activity or gathering, esp one organized to protest against something: teach-in; work-in
21.	in at present at (the beginning, end, etc)
22.	in between between
23.	in for about to be affected by (something, esp something unpleasant): you're in for a shock
24.	in on acquainted with or sharing in: I was in on all his plans
25.	in with associated with; friendly with; regarded highly by
26.	informal have it in for, have got it in for to wish or intend harm towards

—*adj*
27.	(stressed) fashionable; modish: the in thing to do
28.	(NZ) competing: you've got to be in to win

—n
29.	ins and outs intricacies or complications; details: the ins and outs of a computer system

[Old English; compare Old High German in, Welsh yn, Old Norse ī, Latin in, Greek en]

in²

—*the internet domain name for*
	India

In

—*the chemical symbol for*
	indium

IN

—*abbreviation for*
	Indiana

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

O.E. in "in," inne "within," from P.Gmc. *in (cf. O.Fris, Du., Ger., Goth. in, O.N. i), from PIE *en-/*n (cf. Gk. en, L. in, O.Ir. in, Welsh yn-, O.C.S. on-). Sense of "holding power" (the in party) first recorded 1605; that of "exclusive" (the in-crowd, an in-joke) is from 1907; that of "stylish, fashionable"

(the in thing) is from 1960. The noun sense of "influence, access" (have an in with) first recorded 1929 in Amer.Eng. In-and-out "copulation" is attested from 1610s.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

In
The symbol for the element indium.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

In
The symbol for indium.

indium

(ĭn'dē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Symbol In
A soft, malleable, silvery-white metallic element that occurs mainly in ores of zinc and lead. It is used in the manufacture of semiconductors, in bearings for aircraft engines, and as a plating over silver in mirrors. Atomic number 49; atomic weight 114.82; melting point 156.61°C; boiling point 2,080°C; specific gravity 7.31; valence 1, 2, 3. See Periodic Table.

Slang Dictionary

in definition

mod.
current; fashionable. : What's in around here in the way of clothing?

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

in
inch

In
indium

IN
Indiana

Matching Quote

"Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

-unknown author

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