Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - inside

~1 prep 1 »CONTAINER« in a container or other closed space so that it is completely covered or surrounded  (I'll leave the keys inside an envelope. | The jewels were locked away inside the safe.) 2 »BUILDING/ROOM« in a room or building, especially when you are looking at it from the outside  (Mail was piled up just inside the doorway.) 3 »COUNTRY« a word meaning in a country or area, used when you want to emphasize that something is happening there and not outside it  (Very little is known of events inside Albania. | The guerrillas were said to be operating from bases inside the war zone.) 4 »ORGANIZATION« a word meaning in an organization or company, used when you want to emphasize that something is happening or known about there, but not outside it  (women's influence inside the Party | There have been rumours of bitter disputes inside the company.) 5 »FEELING« if you have a feeling inside you, you feel it but do not express it or tell other people about it  (It's no good bottling all the anger up inside you - you've got to let it out.) 6 »HEAD/MIND« if something happens inside you, or inside your head or mind, it is part of what you think and feel  (Something inside of me told me not to trust him. | Steve's a strange guy - you never know what's going on inside his head.) 7 »BODY« in your body  (She could feel the baby kicking inside her. | You'll feel better once you've got a good meal inside you (=after you have eaten something)) 8 »TIME« especially spoken if you do something inside a particular amount of time, it takes you slightly less than that amount of time to do it  (Jonson's time of 9.3 seconds was just inside the world record. | inside (of) two hours/inside (of) fifteen minutes etc)  (We did the return trip to Birmingham in just inside three hours.) ~2 adv 1 in something  (The car was locked and the keys were inside. | The purse had -50 inside.) 2 in a house or other building  (It's raining. We'll have to go inside. | She could hear voices inside, but no-one came to the door.) 3 if you have a feeling inside, you have the feeling but do not show it to other people  (You just don't understand how I feel inside!) 4 informal in prison  (My boyfriend's been inside for a year.) 5 inside of a) within a particular period of time  (We should get it finished inside of a month.) b) AmE on the inside of something  (There were now about a thousand people inside of the stadium.) ~3 n 1 the inside a) the inner part of something, which is surrounded or hidden by the outer part  (The apple's rotten on the inside. | The door had been locked from the inside.)  (- opposite outside1 (1)) b) the part of a road that is nearest to the edge on the side where you are driving  (He tried to overtake me on the inside.) 2 inside out with the usual outside parts on the inside  (You've got that jumper inside out. | Turn cushion covers inside out to wash them.) 3 on the inside someone who is on the inside is a member of a group or an organization  (Someone on the inside must have helped with the robbery.) 4 sb's inside/insides informal someone's stomach  (My insides are beginning to complain about the lack of food.) 5 turn sth inside out to search a place very thoroughly by moving everything that is in it  (The drug squad turned the apartment inside out.) 6 know sth inside out to know something in great detail  (She knows her subject inside out.) ~4 adj 1 on or facing the inside of something  (the inside pages of the newspaper) 2 inside information/the inside story etc information that is available only to people who are part of a particular group or organization  (Police believe the robbers may have had inside information.)