noun
TARDIS
TAH-dihs
noun
1
The time-and-space-traveling ship used by the Doctor in the British TV series Doctor Who, famous for looking like a small police box outside but being enormous inside.
"The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into what looked like Victorian London."
"New viewers are always confused the first time they see how big the TARDIS is inside."
2
Something whose inside seems far bigger, fuller, or more surprising than its outside would suggest.
"That tiny flat is a total tardis — it somehow fits three bedrooms."
"Her handbag is a tardis; she pulled out an umbrella, a book, and a sandwich."
How to Use TARDIS
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA nod to Doctor Who's time machine, used generally for anything bigger or more surprising inside than it looks from outside.
Memory tip
You'll mostly hear this as a joky comparison ("it's like a tardis in here"), not as a serious noun in formal writing.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
like a tardis
bigger on the inside
Word Forms
TARDISes plural, Tardises plural
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The Doctor stepped out of the _____ into what looked like Victorian London.
Etymology
Invented in 1963 for the BBC show Doctor Who, as an acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space."