meaning - "Within" and "in" when referring to time


I know that both can mean "inside" but what I don't have clear is whether both mean the same when talking about time. For example:



  • The party is in two days = The party is within two days ??


According to this link http://oilpatchwriting.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/in-vs-within/ within means a limit that can be exceeded, so I'm wondering too if say "the party is within two days max" is correct or redundant.



Answer



"The party is in two days" means the party will take place in two days time, i.e. if it's Thursday today, the party will take place on Saturday.


"The party is within two days" means either 'the party will take place some time between now and two days from now', or, perhaps more commonly, '[we] are within two days of the party', i.e. the party will be on Saturday as above. If the former of these two definitions is intended then "the party is within two days" has the same meaning as "the party is in two days maximum", if its the latter definition then both "the party is within two days" and "the party is in two days" refer to a party taking place in two days time and not before.


"Within" does not imply "a limit that can be exceeded", but the contrary.
The 'max' in "the party is within two days max" is redundant as you seem to suspect.


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