Synonyms

enter

¹ American

[en-ter] / ˈɛn tər /

verb (used without object)

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)

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.
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).
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 into
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 American

variant of entero- before a vowel.

enteritis.

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
1. to go onto and occupy (land)
2. to file a claim to (public lands)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

enterable adjective
enterer noun
preenter verb (used without object)
unenterable adjective
unentered adjective
well-entered adjective

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. )

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.

Why do certain art forms enter the archive, while others disappear with the people who sustained them?

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Orion's next milestone, set to take place on day five of the 10-day mission, is to enter the lunar sphere of influence, where the Moon's gravitational pull exceeds that of the Earth, according to NASA.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Voyager 2 needed more than nine and a half years just to fly past the planet, without attempting to enter orbit.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

WME will still be involved with 160over90, as the two companies agreed to enter a strategic partnership, which would include leveraging WME’s talent roster for future media opportunities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

When Maggie was ready, she’d enter a formal ladies’ seminary to receive a proper nineteenth-century education in languages, music, and manners.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023