to come or go in.
Knock before you enter.
to be admitted into a school, competition, etc..
Some contestants enter as late as a day before the race.
to make a beginning (often followed by on orupon ).
We have entered upon a new phase in history.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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)
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.
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English entren, from Old French entrer, from Latin intrāre “to enter,” from intrā intra- ( def. )
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The judge has yet to enter his final ruling.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
Tens of thousands of vehicles can enter the city during NFL games and concerts, and the city issues an average of 41 parking tickets per major event, according to city documents.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Because bile acids enter the bloodstream, they can affect tissues and organs far beyond the digestive system.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Players will also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win an official World Cup football signed by members of the BBC World Cup team.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Its purpose was to prepare our young ladies for a world we envisioned that they would eventually enter, including a more integrated America.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
