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.
-
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.
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.
-
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
-
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
-
enterernoun
-
preenterverb (used without object)
-
enterableadjective
-
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:
After retiring as a player following the 2006 World Cup, Zidane did not enter management until 2014, when he became coach of Real Madrid Castilla - the club's B team.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Were she to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, Kamala Harris would enter the race with formidable advantages.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ordered the military to enter the fiery fray, which hit residents and holidaymakers alike at the peak of France's vacation season.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Much less was known about what small-molecule oral GLP-1 drugs do after they enter the brain.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Nuclear plant workers know that if they need to enter an area where they may be exposed to radiation, there are three factors that can reduce their exposure: time, distance, and shielding.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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 Schwartau, Winn
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 Cotton, William
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 Eddy, Mary Baker
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 Hardy, Thomas
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 Rainolde, Richard
The EU's comprehensive AI law enters into force in stages.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
But the value of audience size has been turned on its head as social media enters what executives refer to as the post-follower era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Once he enters the modern world to search for their missing parents, she tries to make up for lost time.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Messi enters the weekend as the all-time leader in goals, assists and games played in tournament history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The primary diver enters the water tethered to a search line as tall as a skyscraper.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Business owner Lorenzo, who entered the villa on day one, said he felt like he "manifested" meeting Julia, 26, in Casa Amor, the alternate villa where relationships are tested by new arrivals.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The statement said Brookfield entered into a nonbinding term sheet to fund up to $9 billion and that Naver will fund the remaining amounts to finance the project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She had entered what she aptly called the era of “squalid overboogie.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Hamm entered into an arrangement where she would accept conviction on three counts of unauthorized use of property while maintaining her innocence and avoiding prison.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Who’d gotten promotions and special privileges; how one of the littles got in trouble for trying to smuggle a chick into the dorm; a new meal that had entered the weekly rotation.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Upon entering the property, guests are greeted with an expansive floor plan that is accentuated by the bright furniture and unique ceiling structures.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The retailer said it has been adversely affected by the scrapping in 2025 of a tariff exemption for low-value goods entering the U.S., leading to an increase in fulfillment expenses and weighing on overall revenues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Reflecting on young South Asians entering the industry today, she says: "I hope their ambitions aren't capped. They should be everywhere."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
With Parsons now adapting the Backrooms for a feature-length horror thriller, the strange fictive world is rapidly entering mainstream discourse.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Then she rapped gently on the door before entering.
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.
