enter

[ en-ter ]

/ ˈɛn tər /

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verb (used without object)

to come or go in: Knock before you enter.

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 or upon): 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.

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.

to make a formal record of (a fact).
to occupy or to take possession of (lands); make an entrance, entry, ingress in, under claim of a right to possession.
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 Phrases

enter into,

to participate in; engage in.
to investigate; consider: We will enter into the question of inherited characteristics at a future time.
to sympathize with; share in.
to form a constituent part or ingredient of: There is another factor that enters into the situation.
to go into a particular state: to enter into a state of suspended animation.

RELATED WORDS

begin

Nearby words

Origin of enter

1200–50; Middle English entren < Old French entrer < Latin intrāre to enter, derivative of intrā within

ANTONYMS FOR enter

1. leave. 7. remove.

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Related forms

en·ter·a·ble, adjectiveen·ter·er, nounpre·en·ter, verb (used without object)un·en·ter·a·ble, adjective

un·en·tered, adjectivewell-en·tered, adjective

Can be confusedenter inter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for enter on

enter

/ (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)

(when intr, foll by into) 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 submitto enter a proposal

(intr) theatre to come on stage: used as a stage directionenter Juliet

(when intr, often foll by into, on, or upon) to begin; startto enter upon a new career

(intr often foll by upon) to come into possession (of)

(tr) to place (evidence, a plea, etc) before a court of law or upon the court records

(tr) law

to go onto and occupy (land)
mainly US to file a claim to (public lands)

Derived Formsenterable, adjectiveenterer, noun

Word Origin for enter

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

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

Word Origin and History for enter on

enter

late 13c., from Old French entrer, from Latin intrare "to go into, enter" (source of Spanish entrar, Italian entrare), from intra "within," related to inter (prep., adj.) "among, between" (see inter-). Related: Entered; entering.

Idioms and Phrases with enter on

enter on

Also, enter upon. Set out, begin, as in We are entering on a new era, or They entered upon the most difficult part of the research. [Early 1600s]

enter

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of enter

enter

verb

Word Origin for enter

enter

enter on