into
- 1To or toward the inside of something, or of a place or area, so as to be in it.
She put the letter into her pocket.
The children ran into the sea.
UsageUse into for movement inside (jump into the pool); in usually says where something already is, though put in also works.
Note
Old English intō was simply in plus to, and the second half carries the meaning: into is in with a destination. William Walker made the distinction in 1678: a passage credited to St. Ambrose has Christ dip himself in the waters, not into them, a matter of position versus entry.
- 2Marking a change to another form, substance or state.
The caterpillar changed into a butterfly.
They converted the barn into a house.
UsageOften after turn, change, convert or make: turn into a frog, make a barn into a house.
Similarto
- 3Marking the division of something to form parts, sections or subgroups.
The book is split into three sections.
The class was sorted into teams.
UsageUsually after split, cut, divide or sort: cut into four pieces. With half, in half is more usual.
- 4
- 5Some way through a period of time or an activity, after it has begun.
Three weeks into the job, she was promoted.
The talks ran on into the night.
UsageA length of time usually comes first: ten minutes into the film, well into autumn.
- 6Against something, making contact usually with force; also used of chance meetings.
The ball flew into the goalkeeper's face.
She bumped into the table in the dark.
UsageBump into or run into a person usually means meeting them by chance, not hitting them.
Similaragainst
- 7Interested in, keen on or attracted to.
My brother is into old cars.
Are you into hiking at all?
UsageUsually after be or get: be into jazz, get into hiking; really into is common.
- 8Follows verbs such as talk, trick, force or pressure to introduce the action a person is persuaded or compelled to take.
Several workers say they were pressured into signing the new contracts.
Nobody forced you into taking this job, so stop complaining about the hours.
UsageVerb + person + into + -ing or a noun: talk her into staying; with persuade, to is more usual: persuade her to stay. The opposite is out of.
- 9Following verbs like put, pour or invest, used to name the activity or thing that receives someone's money, time, effort or thought.
He clearly put a lot of thought into the wedding speech.
Months of planning went into the launch, and it still failed.
Note
Here the container picture of the "inside" meaning is applied to effort: money, time or thought is poured into a project the way liquid is poured into a vessel. Two patterns carry it. A person can be the subject (she put real thought into the speech), or the resource itself can be, with go (months of planning went into the launch), which keeps the person out of view.
Less common meanings
- 10Attacking or fighting a person or animal.
The terrier was into the rat in a second.
He swore he would be into anyone who laid a finger on his sister.
UsageUsually be into someone; the same phrase can mean attracted to them, so context decides.
Note
Force turned on a person: in Charles Knox's 1842 novel, a character vows to be into his enemy "like a thousand o' bricks." It is the same construction as the "attracted to" meaning, be into plus a person, so only context separates threat from attraction.
- 11Used to express division with the divisor first, usually after 'go'.
Seven does not go into twenty exactly.
Divide the total by nine, or ask how many times nine goes into it.
UsageUsually with go: how many times does nine go into it? Six goes into thirty five times.
Note
Arithmetic spoken aloud runs backward here: the divisor comes first, so 24 goes into 48 means 48 divided by 24. Keep it apart from the multiplication use, where five into three means fifteen.
- 12Multiplied by; placed between two quantities to mean that one is multiplied by the other to give their product, as times is.
Two into six is twelve, so the box holds twelve eggs.
The shopkeeper worked out the bill aloud: twelve into five is sixty, so sixty rupees in all.
Note
A trap for anyone reading older British or Indian arithmetic: five into three is fifteen, not three-fifths. It is archaic in Britain but still current in Indian English, and its real danger is the clash with the division use, where three goes into six gives two. Go marks division, but is or equals turns up with both, as in three into twelve is four, so context has to settle it. Outside those varieties, times is the safe choice.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Into has a historical British arithmetic sense expressing multiplication. en.wiktionary.org
- In the multiplication sense, five into three means fifteen. en.wiktionary.org
- Three goes into six gives two, expressing division. en.wiktionary.org
- Goes into expresses division, but is or equals can also accompany division; those verbs alone do not distinguish the operations. pcc.edu
Practice
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Origin
Old English "intō", built from "in" and "to", became Middle English "in-to"; Scots has the related "intae".