Phrase guide

in on

prep · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep

Meaning 1

Being or made privy to, a participant in, involved in, included in, or informed of (usually something private or secret, especially a plan or plot).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • She was in on the surprise from the beginning.
  • He didn't hold the gun, but he got in on the robbery after he overheard some of us talking.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: party to

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

participating in or knowledgeable out

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • was in on the scheme

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Extracted from let in on.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جُزْءً مِن (juzʔan min) — Part of or privy to
  • Arabic: جزء من (gozʔ men) — Part of or privy to
  • Chinese Mandarin: (私下)知情 — Part of or privy to
  • Norwegian: med på — Part of or privy to
  • Norwegian: gjøre kjent med — Part of or privy to
  • Polish: wtajemniczony — Part of or privy to
  • Spanish: parte de — Part of or privy to