diff --git a/rules/en/deadline.go b/rules/en/deadline.go
index 2996586..b9d0a06 100644
--- a/rules/en/deadline.go
+++ b/rules/en/deadline.go
@@ -11,12 +11,23 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
-func Deadline(s rules.Strategy) rules.Rule {
+// DeadlineOptions configures the Deadline rule.
+type DeadlineOptions struct {
+	// Aggressive makes the "in"/"within" prefix optional, so "2 hours" matches too.
+	Aggressive bool
+}
+
+func Deadline(s rules.Strategy, opts ...DeadlineOptions) rules.Rule {
 	overwrite := s == rules.Override
 
+	prefix := "(within|in)"
+	if len(opts) > 0 && opts[0].Aggressive {
+		prefix += "?"
+	}
+
 	return &rules.F{
 		RegExp: regexp.MustCompile(
-			"(?i)(?:\\W|^)(within|in)\\s*" +
+			"(?i)(?:\\W|^)" + prefix + "\\s*" +
 				"(" + INTEGER_WORDS_PATTERN + "|[0-9]+|an?(?:\\s*few)?|half(?:\\s*an?)?)\\s*" +
 				"(seconds?|min(?:ute)?s?|hours?|days?|weeks?|months?|years?)\\s*" +
 				"(?:\\W|$)"),
diff --git a/rules/en/deadline_test.go b/rules/en/deadline_test.go
index bebb883..8fc6c5d 100644
--- a/rules/en/deadline_test.go
+++ b/rules/en/deadline_test.go
@@ -31,3 +31,23 @@ func TestDeadline(t *testing.T) {
 
 	ApplyFixtures(t, "en.Deadline", w, fixt)
 }
+
+func TestDeadlineAggressive(t *testing.T) {
+	fixt := []Fixture{
+		{"2 hours", 0, "2 hours", 2 * time.Hour},
+		{"remind me 4 days later", 10, "4 days", 4 * 24 * time.Hour},
+		{"a week", 0, "a week", 7 * 24 * time.Hour},
+		{"within half an hour", 0, "within half an hour", time.Hour / 2},
+		{"call me back in 5 minutes", 13, "in 5 minutes", 5 * time.Minute},
+	}
+
+	w := when.New(nil)
+	w.Add(en.Deadline(rules.Skip, en.DeadlineOptions{Aggressive: true}))
+
+	ApplyFixtures(t, "en.Deadline aggressive", w, fixt)
+
+	w = when.New(nil)
+	w.Add(en.Deadline(rules.Skip))
+
+	ApplyFixturesNil(t, "en.Deadline", w, []Fixture{{"2 hours", 0, "", 0}})
+}