in the world

in the world

An intensifier used to emphasize surprise, shock, anger, disgust, etc. How in the world am I supposed to read this entire book in one week? What in the world were you thinking, driving across the state in the middle of the night?
See also: world
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in the ˈworld

used to emphasize what you are saying: There’s nothing in the world I’d like more than to visit New York. Don’t rush — we’ve got all the time in the world.
See also: world
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

in the world

Used as an intensive: How in the world did they manage? I never in the world would have guessed.
See also: world
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • how in the hell
  • on earth
  • how the hell
  • in the hell
  • the hell
  • what in the hell
  • What in the hell?
  • what the (blue) blazes
  • what the hell
References in periodicals archive
For the two billion poorest people in the world, many of whom spend half or more of their income on food, rising grain prices can quickly become life threatening.
Instead, these objects are free-form shapes, which are particularly difficult to create/design in the world of parametrics.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world. Accordingly, the Saudi population is very young.
Among them, do not forget, were the hundreds of foreign nationals who were among those killed in the World Trade Center.
There's no better feeling in the world than winning a race and sending all those fans home happy.'
We are one of the most attractive markets in the world for investors.
To counterbalance the image of the "awesome ruler" with that of a benevolent prince at ease in the world around him, the emissaries were shown several of the Medici villas.
Our six daughters riding the waves of the high seas, with courage, is the first instance of its kind in the world. I am making a separate arrangement for their experiences of heroism, a tale of personal experiences and I would be happy to bring you the stories of these daughters.
1980: The 10-mileSt Gotthard road tunnel in Switzerland, the longest in the world, was opened.
"At a meeting with Bill Yates [formerly of INS; now acting associate director of operations for Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services]," says immigration lawyer Jonathan Ginsburg, "[Yates] said, 'We talked to the arts.' I asked 'Who?' He said, 'We talked to Warner Brothers.' I have every respect in the world for Bill, but for INS to think they talked to someone in the arts, and it was Warner Brothers--that's not the arts, that's Hollywood." Repeated calls to Yates at BCIS were unanswered.
His interest in the world of business and economics arises, he tells me, from his interest in making and saving money.
In the world today, more than ever, barriers of this kind must be broken, for we are all more alike than we are different.