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

• ˈenterer, noun
• ˈenterable, adjective

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

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

Words That Use enter-

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.

Examples of enter-

One medical term that features the combining form enter- is enteritis, meaning “inflammation of the intestines.”

As we have seen, enter- means “intestine.” The suffix -itis is used to denote inflammation, particularly of organs. So, enteritis literally translates to “intestine inflammation.”

What are some words that use the combining form enter-?

• enteralgia
• enterectomy
• enterectasis
• enterelcosis

What are some other forms that enter– may be commonly confused with?

• ento-
• inter-
• onto-

The combining form enter- shares all its letters with the common word enter, meaning “to come or go in.” Via French, enter ultimately comes from the Latin intrā, meaning “within”—and intrā is, in fact, distantly related to the Greek énteron. Our guts are within our bodies, after all.

Break it down!

The combining form -algia means “pain.” With this in mind, what is enteralgia?