Learn English – Nuance in meaning when using “into” to define a duration

meaningprepositionstime

English non-native speaker here.

Let's say I use "into" to define a specific moment/duration in time of something.

So I say:

He drank well into his forties.

Or:

I expect this to be completed into next week.

In both cases, would the reader assume as an initial reaction or in most cases, that the duration is INSIDE the timeframe given (he drank during his forties BUT NOT beyond, the project will be completed next week BUT NOT later)?

Or would the reader assume that the times given are not constrained and that the moments/durations could extend AFTER the times used? (As in "he drank during his forties AND beyond" or "the project will be completed by next week, or maybe the week after that one").

This is, in short: "into" refers, in general, to a BOUND time period/duration (when talking about the past or about the future), or to an UNBOUND time period?

Thanks.

Best Answer

Definition 3 from Merriam-Webster says:

—used as a function word to indicate a period of time or an extent of space part of which is passed or occupied • far into the night

Note that it says "part of which is passed"; it does not say "part or all". So the clear and normal meaning is, the activity does not extend beyond the timeframe specified. In short, yes, it normally imposes an upper boundary on the activity.

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