entrance
1 Americannoun
-
an act of entering, as into a place or upon new duties.
- Antonyms:
- exit
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a point or place of entering; an opening or passage for entering, as a doorway.
- Antonyms:
- exit
-
the right, privilege, or permission to enter; admission.
People improperly dressed will be refused entrance to the theater.
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Theater. the moment or place in the script at which an actor comes on the stage.
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Music.
-
the point in a musical score at which a particular voice or instrument joins the ensemble.
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the way in which this is done.
a sloppy entrance.
-
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a manner, means, or style of entering a room, group, etc.; way of coming into view.
She mimicked Joan's entrance.
-
Nautical. the immersed portion of a hull forward of the middle body (opposed to run).
noun
-
the act or an instance of entering; entry
-
a place for entering, such as a door or gate
-
-
the power, liberty, or right of entering; admission
-
( as modifier )
an entrance fee
-
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the coming of an actor or other performer onto a stage
verb
-
to fill with wonder and delight; enchant
-
to put into a trance; hypnotize
Synonym Usage
Entrance, admittance, admission refer to the possibility of entering a place or a group. Entrance may refer to either possibility: Entrance is by way of the side door; entrance into a card game. Admittance refers more to place and suggests entrance that may be permitted or denied: to gain admittance to a building; no admittance. Admission refers more to special groups and suggests entrance by payment, by formal or special permission, privilege, and the like: admission to a concert, a game, to candidacy, the bar, to society.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
entrancesimple
-
entrancessimple
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have entrancedperfect
-
has entrancedperfect
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am entrancingprogressive
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are entrancingprogressive
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is entrancingprogressive
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have been entrancingperfect progressive
-
has been entrancingperfect progressive
Past
-
entrancedsimple
-
had entrancedperfect
-
was entrancingprogressive
-
were entrancingprogressive
-
had been entrancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entrance1
First recorded in 1525–50; from Middle French; see enter, -ance
Origin of entrance2
Explanation
As a noun, entrance means an act of entering or something that provides a way to enter something. You can make a grand entrance when you arrive at a party, as long as you can actually find the entrance. Entrance has two pronunciations. If you put the accent on the first syllable, the word is a noun meaning the act of entering or the way into something ("an entrance to the building"). If the accent is on the second syllable, then entrance is a verb meaning "to enchant, charm, or enamor" — "You will be entranced by the movie; the scenery looks so real you will swear it is growing in the theater."
Vocabulary lists containing entrance
Beowulf vocabulary
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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myPerspectives 9.2
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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.
The owner of Primos Barbershop, he stood near the stadium entrance Sunday holding a sign that read “Free Cutz, Welcome to LA.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
India voided its nationwide undergraduate medical-school entrance exam in May due to alleged leaked questions, prompting a retest for over two million students.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
You’ll pay entrance fees of at least $100,000 and sometimes over $1 million, on top of monthly fees for housing and amenities.
From Barron's • Jun. 20, 2026
A day later, a fire was discovered at the entrance to Sir Keir's Kentish Town home, which he still owned and was being rented out to his sister-in-law, Judith Alexander.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
I had planted myself there for the clear view of the double doors at the front entrance and was rewarded when he burst out of the building with a bunch of other boys.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
