to clue in
1
3.9
- phrasal verb
:
informar
- The teacher clued in the students about the upcoming changes to the exam format.
And then they kept playing, and every expert and commentator started cluing in one by one.
- And then they kept playing, and every expert and commentator started cluing in one by one.
- We are so clued in on the next move that we forget to look sideways and see others walking on the very same rope.
- For this reason, I'm always really clued in when you have really obscure off target, like non expectancy phenomenon happening.
Examples
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Thank you, Amazon, for finally cluing in to that.
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And so the explanation capability allows you to clue in on the fact that even though this thing is getting the right answers, it's not for sensible reasons.
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You want to ask questions where the answer is yes because that helps you clue in on what's really going on.
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Men are so dense; they need to clue in!
Blog text (26) -
Editorial: Central Coast voters need to be clued in to key issues.
Blog text (26) -
And then they kept playing, and every expert and commentator started cluing in one by one.
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And once we clued in to the fact that life is finite, the thought of losing it didn't scare us anymore.
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And, and the more they see of a certain thing, they kind of clue in that, hey, we should maybe do that because if that's what's popular, that's what we can sell.
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If you weren't clued in by the suntans and pets... we're not exactly cavemen anymore.
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If you weren't clued in already by the animal skins and sloping foreheads, we're cavemen.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
∞
1.0
To tell someone about a fact or situation
637
1.8
Tell me when something changes or you have news
367
3.1
Tell someone about something, often in an official way
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
234
4.1
To tell people information that was secret
68
6.8
Secretly tell someone important information to warn or help them
25
2.6
To give someone a small hint or information about something
22
7.4
To tell someone about news or a change
20
3.7
To show facts that were hidden before
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
4
3.4
To suggest something in a quiet, indirect way
To explain something clearly so someone finally understands
How Informed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'clue' (to provide information) plus 'in' (into/within) yields 'bring someone into the knowledge' → inform them. This verb+particle composition follows a common, productive English pattern and corresponds to an intuitive concept found in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Clue in comes from the image of giving someone a clue and pulling them in to the group or a secret, so they are no longer left out. That's why to clue in someone means 'to inform someone' or 'to bring them into what is happening'.