enter
verb (used without object)
to come or go in.
enter
1 American
[en-ter]
/ ˈɛn tər /
verb (used without object)
-
enters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
entered,
past participle, past
-
entering
present participle
-
to come or go in.
Knock before you enter.
- Antonyms:
- leave
-
to be admitted into a school, competition, etc..
Some contestants enter as late as a day before the race.
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to make a beginning (often followed by on orupon ).
We have entered upon a new phase in history.
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Theater. to come upon the stage (used in stage directions as the 3rd person imperative singular or plural).
Enter Othello, and Iago at a distance.
verb (used with object)
-
enters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
entered,
past participle, past
-
entering
present participle
-
to come or go into.
He just entered the building. The thought never entered my mind.
-
to penetrate or pierce.
The bullet entered the flesh.
-
to put in or insert.
- Antonyms:
- remove
-
to become a member of; join.
to enter a club.
-
to cause to be admitted, as into a school, competition, etc..
to enter a horse in a race.
-
to make a beginning of or in, or begin upon; engage or become involved in.
He entered the medical profession.
-
to share in; have an intuitive understanding of.
In order to appreciate the novel, one must be able to enter the spirit of the work.
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to make a record of; record or register.
to enter a new word in a dictionary.
-
Law.
-
Computers. to put (a document, program, data, etc.) into a computer system.
Enter your new document into the word-processing system.
-
to put forward, submit, or register formally.
to enter an objection to a proposed action; to enter a bid for a contract.
-
to report (a ship, cargo, etc.) at the custom house.
verb phrase
enter-
2
American
enter
British
/ ˈɛntə /
verb
-
to come or go into (a place, house, etc)
-
to penetrate or pierce
-
(tr) to introduce or insert
-
to join (a party, organization, etc)
-
to become involved or take part (in)
to enter a game
to enter into an agreement
-
(tr) to record (an item such as a commercial transaction) in a journal, account, register, etc
-
(tr) to record (a name, etc) on a list
-
(tr) to present or submit
to enter a proposal
-
(intr) theatre to come on stage: used as a stage direction
enter Juliet
-
to begin; start
to enter upon a new career
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to come into possession (of)
-
(tr) to place (evidence, a plea, etc) before a court of law or upon the court records
-
(tr) law
-
to go onto and occupy (land)
-
to file a claim to (public lands)
-
Usage
What does enter- mean? Enter- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “intestine.” The intestines are the long tract of the digestive system that runs from the stomach to the anus. Enter- is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology. Enter- comes from the Greek énteron, meaning “intestine.” A scientific term for the digestive tract (alimentary canal) is enteron, which comes from this same Greek root. The word dysentery, literally meaning “bad bowels,” also derives from the Greek énteron. Enter- is a variant of entero-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use entero- article.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enterernoun
-
preenterverb (used without object)
-
enterableadjective
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unenterableadjective
-
unenteredadjective
-
well-enteredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
entersimple
-
enterssimple
-
have enteredperfect
-
has enteredperfect
-
am enteringprogressive
-
are enteringprogressive
-
is enteringprogressive
-
have been enteringperfect progressive
-
has been enteringperfect progressive
Past
-
enteredsimple
-
had enteredperfect
-
was enteringprogressive
-
were enteringprogressive
-
had been enteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enter
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English entren, from Old French entrer, from Latin intrāre “to enter,” from intrā intra- ( def. )
Explanation
To enter is to go inside or into a place. When you enter your house after school, you might pet your cat and take off your shoes. You might enter the kitchen to see what's for dinner, or enter the library to look for a book to read. In both cases, you go from one place into another, through a doorway. If you're an actor, the word enter takes on a different meaning: to appear on the stage during a play. The stage directions might read, "Enter the King, stage left." Countries also enter wars, and people enter contests — they register or become involved.
Vocabulary lists containing enter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bounchan Manochit, a shop owner in northern Luang Prabang province, said that with no lights, wild animals may enter residents' homes at night.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Somerville did not enter any plea during his appearannce.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Jason Duron, a watch commander at the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station, said his department was contacted by Harris’ security detail when a woman attempted to enter the property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Doctors often enter their professional lives playing catch-up on saving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
He also knew that unless he was willing to face Mr. Kravitz, there was no chance for either of them to enter.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
But in this, as in all speculative enter- prises, the prizes have been few and the blanks many.
From Everybody's Guide to Money Matters: with a description of the various investments chiefly dealt in on the stock exchange, and the mode of dealing therein by William Cotton
Soche a one was this Epaminundas, the famous Duke of Thebe, whose vertues gaue hym honour in life, and famous enter- prises, immortalitée of fame after death.
From A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike because all other partes of Rhetorike are grounded thereupon, euery parte sette forthe in an Oracion vpon questions, verie profitable to bee knowen and redde by Richard Rainolde
The hope was that they could observe Kirk remotely enter- ing the computer and then identify the security breach.
From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau
On enter- 193:3 ing the house I met his physician, who said that the patient was dying.
From Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
Slipping along here covertly as Time, Bathsheba fancied she could hear footsteps enter- ing the track at the opposite end.
From Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Chatham House's Rapp said Trump was thinking short term to try to keep hold of Congress as he enters the final two years of his term in office.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The case now enters the discovery phase, where each side collects evidence to build their case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"If a vessel enters that area without coordination, it will be subject to our sanctions," Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi told state television.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
There’s more to learn, but it shows how these machine incentives operate when cooperation between agents unexpectedly enters the mix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Within a fraction of a second, a tall, elegant gentleman enters the room.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Police found he had entered the country on a false passport and sent him to a detention centre in Sydney.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Rams entered the 2026 season as the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers dominate them in a 27-7 win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The oil market entered the crisis with a surplus of more than 1 million barrels a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked European Union infighting over the touchy issue of migration.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
A thin man entered and pulled off his hat.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
While vaccination rates in Ohio have fallen, Cleveland is making improvements — rates for children entering kindergarten there have jumped from 68 percent a few years ago to 76 percent this past school year.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
The weekend edition of the Financial Times reports that a military aircraft entering "spurious" flight data into air traffic control led to a system outage that grounded thousands of planes this week.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Samoan Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl when he was sworn in last year, entering the room to the sound of a ceremonial "shofar" horn.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Stafford, 38, is entering his 18th NFL season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The door opening, Thorn and Thimble entering with a garment bag—and then leaving.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
