# inside job

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/inside-job
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.

## Examples

- The police think the robbery was an inside job.
- The coach believes the leaked game plan is an inside job.
- The security guard realized the theft was an inside job because the alarm system was disabled from the inside.
- Management suspects the missing inventory is an inside job because the warehouse keys were never forced and only a few staff members have the code.
- Investigators concluded that the sophisticated data breach was an inside job, orchestrated by a disgruntled employee with full access to the company's private servers.

## Origin

The phrase is first attested in 1908, appearing in print as a descriptor for a crime committed by a person already legitimately present on the premises. It emerged as a compound of the preposition inside and the noun job, entering the lexicon to denote a breach of security by one of its supposed guardians.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.