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enter

enter

verb (used without object)

to come or go in.
enter-

enter-

variant of entero- before a vowel.

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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing enter

5-letter words, List 1

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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:

enter enter- enters entered entering

I wasn’t about to enter my email address or any personal information.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

By adding the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, the Dodgers are poised to enter October in pursuit of a three-peat with one of the best pitching rotations in MLB history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Sanchez himself points instead to a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court: it said those who enter by sea cannot be pushed back immediately.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

A candidate could win comfortably in a local constituency and still fail to enter parliament if their party had already filled its quota with stronger performances elsewhere.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

All you do is enter the name of who you’re looking for and they tell you if they’re in jail, how long they’ve been there, and stuff like that.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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

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

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

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

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

Berg has some big shoes to fill just as MLS enters an important stage of its development.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

She enters a spotless kitchen, unloads a bag of groceries, and unwraps a frozen pizza before sliding it in the oven.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

As the Iran war enters its sixth month, neither side appears any closer to softening its positions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Once melting becomes intense enough to destroy the sulfide minerals, however, the stored gold is released and enters the rising magma.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Mayumi knocks on the door before she enters.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Catalyst last month said it entered into gold forward contracts of 30,000 ounces at 6,075 Australian dollars per ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

More than half of England has entered drought conditions, according to a declaration by the Environment Agency last week.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Unfortunately, she clicked the link and entered her log-in information.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Chelsea, Mudryk and his representatives have entered an initial two-week assessment period to evaluate how he adapts to life back in an elite football environment.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

I cursed myself for not calming down before I’d entered.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Upon entering the home, guests are greeted with classic Hamptons charm and modern luxury, offering vaulted ceilings, five fireplaces, a sunken living room, formal dining room, and an expansive chef’s kitchen designed for entertaining.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

But it has been "magnified" in recent years owing to India's demographic surge - or a growing size of the population entering the workforce - and improved education outcomes.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Sediment released by coastal erosion can reduce the amount of sunlight entering the water.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

“Do we think that entering into negotiations with Google, Meta and Amazon are closer to making a covenant with God, or making a deal with the devil?” he asked the council.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

We’re entering the battlefront that Prime Minister Churchill described, and perhaps even more concerning… I’m making it easier for Fleetwood to find me.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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