within

[ with-in, with- ]
See synonyms for: withinwithins on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. on, or as regards, the inside; internally.

  2. inside an enclosed place, area, room, etc.: He was startled by a cry from within.

  3. 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.

  1. in the compass or limits of; not beyond: within view;to live within one's income.

  2. at or to some point not beyond, as in length or distance; not farther than: within a radius of a mile.

  3. at or to some amount or degree not exceeding: within two degrees of freezing.

  4. in the course or period of, as in time: within one's memory;within three minutes.

  5. inside of the limits fixed or required by; not transgressing: within the law.

  6. in the field, sphere, or scope of: within the family;within one's power.

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

Origin of within

1
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

Words Nearby within

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use within in a sentence

  • You need but will, and it is done; but if you relax your efforts, you will be ruined; for ruin and recovery are both from within.

    Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou
  • within the past thirty years civilization has rapidly taken possession of this lovely region.

    Among the Sioux | R. J. Creswell
  • At present, Louis was too self-absorbed by the struggles within him, to look deep into what was passing around him.

  • The Senora Moreno's heart broke within her, when those words passed her lips to her adored Felipe.

    Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
  • General Santa Anna is within a mile of us with fifteen hundred men.

British Dictionary definitions for within

within

/ (wɪˈðɪn) /


preposition
  1. in; inside; enclosed or encased by

  2. before (a period of time) has elapsed: within a week

  1. not beyond the limits of; not differing by more than (a specified amount) from: live within your means; within seconds of the world record

adverb
  1. formal inside; internally

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with within

within

In addition to the idioms beginning with within

  • within an ace of
  • within bounds
  • within call
  • within reach
  • within reason

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.