to jack in
- phrasal verb
- /dʒæk ɪn/
- Jargon
- You don't have to jack in, Doc.
Examples
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What if he won't jack in?
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We're jacked in and will take advantage of this opportunity in a way no previous generation ever could.
Blog text (1) -
What if he won't jack in?
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You can't jack in from outside.
Fiction book (2000) -
Jobe will know everything about anyone who jacks in to the dome.
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I was jacked in.
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He won't jack in.
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We'll be joined by hundreds of other prominent people who'll be jacking in from all over the country, so if you're ready, don your eyephones, and we can begin.
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When the main character "jacks in," using a kind of modem that interacts directly with the brain, he sees a "graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system."
Academic text (1997) -
You need to jack in to the router to access the internet.
Synonyms
Attach something to power or a network so it works
Enter a computer or online account using your username and password
To connect a device to a power socket to get electricity
To join a group, activity, or system to take part and get information
To join machines so they can share power or information using wires
Enter your username and password to access a website or app
Antonyms
To separate something so it is no longer joined, for example remove a cable or turn off power
How Connected
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to connect to a computer or network' is directly derivable from 'jack' (an electronic socket) plus the particle 'in' indicating insertion or connection. This follows the same transparent compositional pattern as 'plug in' and is therefore readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings.
Etymology
The phrasal verb jack in comes from the image of plugging a cable into a jack, a small socket used to join one machine to another. So today jack in means 'to connect' or 'log on' to a computer or network.