into

The cat jumps into the cardboard box.

Definition

1. Preposition:
   • To the inside or interior of: "into" indicates movement or direction towards the inner part of a place, container, or area.
   • Indicating a change of state or form: "into" denotes transformation or conversion from one condition or shape to another.
   • Expressing division or multiplication: In mathematics, "into" is used to describe the operation of multiplication or division (e.g., "3 into 6 is 18" for multiplication; "3 into 6 is 2" for division).

Usage Examples

• Movement to interior:

  • She walked into the room. (She entered the interior of the room.)
  • He put the book into his bag. (He placed the book inside the bag.)

• Change of state or form:

  • The caterpillar turned into a butterfly. (The caterpillar transformed to become a butterfly.)
  • She translated the novel into French. (She converted the text from one language to French.)

• Mathematical operation:

  • 2 into 4 equals 8. (2 multiplied by 4 equals 8.)
  • 4 into 20 is 5. (20 divided by 4 equals 5.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be into something": to be interested in or involved with an activity or subject.

  • She is really into photography. (She has a strong interest in photography.)

• "to look into something": to investigate or examine a matter.

  • The police will look into the complaint. (They will investigate the complaint.)

• "to run into someone": to meet someone unexpectedly.

  • I ran into an old friend at the market. (I met an old friend by chance.)

Variants and Related Words

• In (preposition): indicating location or position within a space.

  • The key is in the lock. (The key is inside the lock.)

• Inward (adj/adv): directed towards the inside.

  • He took an inward breath. (He breathed in.)

Synonyms

• Inside: to the interior of.

  • She went inside the house. (She entered the house.)

• Within: inside a particular area or container.

  • The treasure is within the chest. (The treasure is inside the chest.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Come into: to inherit or acquire something.

  • He came into a large fortune. (He inherited a large amount of money.)

• Get into: to become involved in or start an activity.

  • She got into trouble for being late. (She became involved in a problematic situation.)

Related Idioms

• Into thin air: completely disappearing without a trace.

  • The magician made the rabbit vanish into thin air. (The rabbit disappeared completely.)

• Into the bargain: in addition to what was already mentioned.

  • The car was cheap, and it came with a full tank of petrol into the bargain. (It also included a full tank of fuel.)