enter

¹

[ en-ter ]

verb (used without object)

1. to come or go in:

   Knock before you enter.

   Antonyms: leave

2. to be admitted into a school, competition, etc.:

   Some contestants enter as late as a day before the race.

3. to make a beginning (often followed by on or upon ):

   We have entered upon a new phase in history.

4. 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)

1. to come or go into:

   He just entered the building. The thought never entered my mind.

2. to penetrate or pierce:

   The bullet entered the flesh.

3. to put in or insert.

   Antonyms: remove

4. to become a member of; join:

   to enter a club.

5. to cause to be admitted, as into a school, competition, etc.:

   to enter a horse in a race.

6. to make a beginning of or in, or begin upon; engage or become involved in:

   He entered the medical profession.

7. 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.

8. to make a record of; record or register:

   to enter a new word in a dictionary.

9. Law.
   1. to make a formal record of (a fact).
   2. to occupy or to take possession of (lands); make an entrance, entry, ingress in, under claim of a right to possession.
   3. to file an application for (public lands).
10. Computers. to put (a document, program, data, etc.) into a computer system:

    Enter your new document into the word-processing system.

11. to put forward, submit, or register formally:

    to enter an objection to a proposed action; to enter a bid for a contract.

12. to report (a ship, cargo, etc.) at the custom house.

verb phrase

1. 1. to participate in; engage in.
   2. to investigate; consider:

      We will enter into the question of inherited characteristics at a future time.

   3. to sympathize with; share in.
   4. to form a constituent part or ingredient of:

      There is another factor that enters into the situation.

   5. to go into a particular state:

      to enter into a state of suspended animation.

enter-

²

1. variant of entero- before a vowel:

   enteritis.

enter

/ ˈɛntə /

verb

1. to come or go into (a place, house, etc)
2. to penetrate or pierce
3. tr to introduce or insert
4. to join (a party, organization, etc)
5. whenintr, foll by into to become involved or take part (in)

   to enter into an agreement

   to enter a game

6. tr to record (an item such as a commercial transaction) in a journal, account, register, etc
7. tr to record (a name, etc) on a list
8. tr to present or submit

   to enter a proposal

9. intr theatre to come on stage: used as a stage direction

   enter Juliet

10. whenintr, often foll by into, on, or upon to begin; start

    to enter upon a new career

11. introften foll byupon to come into possession (of)
12. tr to place (evidence, a plea, etc) before a court of law or upon the court records
13. tr law
    1. to go onto and occupy (land)
    2. to file a claim to (public lands)

Derived Forms

• ˈenterable, adjective
• ˈenterer, noun

Other Words From

• enter·a·ble adjective
• enter·er noun
• pre·enter verb (used without object)
• un·enter·a·ble adjective
• un·entered adjective
• well-entered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of enter¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English entren, from Old French entrer, from Latin intrāre “to enter,” from intrā intra- ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of enter¹

C13: from Old French entrer, from Latin intrāre to go in, from intrā within

Example Sentences

I thought back to that this week, when the national anthem again entered the news, this time because Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, ordered his team’s home games this season to start without playing the anthem.

From Washington Post

Two teams will fall to the second division, and a third will enter a playoff.

From Washington Post

Jakub Vrana, who entered the covid-19 protocols Saturday, was removed from the list Tuesday.

From Washington Post

No player had entered the NBA out of high school in more than two decades.

From Washington Post

He took the mic from David to demand the team re-sign him as the nine-year veteran enters unrestricted free agency this offseason.

From Washington Post

For now, the Egyptian government has issued a statement saying that Clooney is free to enter Egypt “whenever she wants.”

From The Daily Beast

Even then, most of us doubted he would show up and actually sign the papers allowing him to enter the 1992 New Hampshire primary.

From The Daily Beast

The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple.

From The Daily Beast

Many more German divisions would enter the fray over the next few days.

From The Daily Beast

Roughly one out of every 33 women who enter the federal prison system is pregnant.

From The Daily Beast

One evening, while he was thus engaged, he observed de Patinos and Duke Wharton enter together.

From Project Gutenberg

He will keep the sayings of renowned men, and will enter withal into the subtilties of parables.

From Project Gutenberg

He was positive he had seen some one enter the room, go to the chair, and take the money from his pockets.

From Project Gutenberg

A little shepherdess is guiding them, as anxious to get them in as they are to enter, for this means the end of her day's work.

From Project Gutenberg

But first he held a whispered colloquy with the Princess, whom he entreated, or persuaded, to re-enter her gorgeous vehicle.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• arrive
• come in
• get in
• go in
• infiltrate
• introduce
• invade
• penetrate