entrance
1 Americannoun
-
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.
-
Theater. the moment or place in the script at which an actor comes on the stage.
-
Music.
-
the point in a musical score at which a particular voice or instrument joins the ensemble.
-
the way in which this is done.
a sloppy entrance.
-
-
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
-
-
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
-
have entrancedperfect
-
has entrancedperfect
-
am entrancingprogressive
-
are entrancingprogressive
-
is entrancingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
Three days after Good’s death, Amundson drove past a Latino grocery store in her neighborhood and saw a group of people sitting in front of the entrance.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following mass youth-led protests over college entrance exam irregularities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The rescheduled dinner was smaller and more tightly controlled than April’s event, with a single entrance, multiple security screenings and no traditional red carpet.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Public frustration has mounted following a series of exam irregularities, including the leak of a medical entrance examination paper and problems with an online marking system for high school students.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
I grew even more excited as we approached the entrance.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
In the countryside west of the Welsh capital, farmers have a WhatsApp group to warn of suspicious vehicles and some have barricaded the entrances to their fields with concrete blocks and fallen trees.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In a slowly emptying village in northern Kazakhstan, wild grass engulfed the entrances of abandoned apartment blocks, as children's songs spilled into the street from the only building still occupied.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
During my stay on the islands, I regularly found myself tiptoeing around sea lions lounging beside hotel entrances or ferry docks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
There were long, dark alleyways between the historical buildings, hidden paths, secret entrances, and a few unsavory occult shops where only the most mysterious villagers seemed to congregate.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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
"I'm entranced by Mr Haaland," said Miami resident Robert, speaking to BBC Mundo.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
By the 1870s his work—often passively comfortable with the standard paysage, or horizontal format, and entranced by distant spectacles like sunsets or mountaintops—began to seem sedate to serious viewers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 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, unable to help it The unicorn did not seem, able to move from the soft grip of her hand on its horn.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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
The lyric, "I'll cry my eyes violet", refers to the star's famously entrancing eyes; and the line "what could you possibly get for the girl who has everything" namechecks one of her films.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
It is not necessary to know the backstory of the picture and its title to find it entrancing, but its history is a rich one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
But there’s something authentic and genuine about Margo magnified by Akerman’s entrancing performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
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.
