entrance
1 Americannoun
-
entrances
plural
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an act of entering, as into a place or upon new duties.
- Antonyms:
- exit
-
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.
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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.
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Nautical. the immersed portion of a hull forward of the middle body (opposed to run).
noun
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the act or an instance of entering; entry
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a place for entering, such as a door or gate
-
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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
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entrancessimple
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have entrancedperfect
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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
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has been entrancingperfect progressive
Past
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entrancedsimple
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had entrancedperfect
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was entrancingprogressive
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were entrancingprogressive
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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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myPerspectives 9.2
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
The blaze at the Nelson Mandela high school, in the city centre, then spread to the front of the building, damaging the entrance hall.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Columbia students queue up at one entrance to show their IDs, while eligible visitors present QR codes at a separate gate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
It has also drawn sustained — and occasionally sensational — national attention since Raman’s buzzer-beating entrance in February.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Maybe it's her late entrance to the literary world, working in busy kitchens as a chef for decades or dealing with a cancer diagnosis that helps Kennedy cope with pressure.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Penelope walked slowly back toward the entrance of the cave and put the candle down on a flat stone.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Residents noticed increased security in recent weeks—more police patrolling the surrounding area and entrances to the base blocked by heavy equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The hulking, three-story gray concrete structure is the width of a city block, with entrances on Tobias Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Near brightly lit cave entrances, several kinds of algae and plants grew in the water.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
And in recent months, satellite imagery indicate continued work on access roads and tunnel entrances around Pickaxe Mountain.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
“There’s no chance of getting through any of them now, not with curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and dementors waiting at the exits.”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
How Scotland, and other parts of the world, became entranced by the fairytale only for the reality of sport's essential brutality to hit them square between the eyes at Celtic Park on denouement day.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Four-year-old Juni Wahab was entranced by the sight of the swallows and cormorants swooping low overhead and the rushing twists of water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The two actors—and Mr. Rash’s script—make them human, and genuine, and kept this viewer close to entranced despite the staginess of the production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
That becomes a problem when, after one of their weekly lunches, the three friends stroll around a furniture store, where Camille is entranced by a gorgeous chair she can’t possibly afford.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
She seemed entranced by the music, a little frenzied piano piece with this mesmerizing quality, sort of quick passages and then teasing lilting ones before it returned to the quick playful parts.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
The result is a quiet, entrancing study of one man’s gaze and of the ideas and questions that seized him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Brazil now need major surgery - starting with the area of the field where they used to be so strong, so creative, so entrancing - the midfield.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Zimmer, a New York City comedian, is tasked with a heavy, grief-laden dramatic role, and she’s utterly convincing, entrancing in her stillness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
The 17th-century painter’s depiction of the biblical figure, who has left behind her life of sin, is a work of entrancing details and pervading stillness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
One of the fairy women came toward her, her skin nearly translucent it was so pale, her eyes hard like sapphires, but the smile on her face was entrancing.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
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.
