enter
verb (used without object)
to come or go in.
enter
1 American
[en-ter]
/ ˈɛn tər /
verb (used without object)
-
enters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
entered,
past participle, past
-
entering
present participle
-
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)
-
enters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
entered,
past participle, past
-
entering
present participle
-
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.
-
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-
2
American
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
-
to go onto and occupy (land)
-
to file a claim to (public lands)
-
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
-
enterernoun
-
preenterverb (used without object)
-
enterableadjective
-
unenterableadjective
-
unenteredadjective
-
well-enteredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
entersimple
-
enterssimple
-
have enteredperfect
-
has enteredperfect
-
am enteringprogressive
-
are enteringprogressive
-
is enteringprogressive
-
have been enteringperfect progressive
-
has been enteringperfect progressive
Past
-
enteredsimple
-
had enteredperfect
-
was enteringprogressive
-
were enteringprogressive
-
had been enteringperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing enter
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:
As AI-enabled bots enter everyday life, they are creating a brand new set of etiquette and legal conundrums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
They insist the chief culprit is something else: an end to the flow into the U.S. economy of new workers from overseas — those who enter legally as well as those coming in illegally.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Eisenkot and every member of his bloc bar one has previously refused to enter government with Arab parties, but speculation has swirled in recent days that an agreement could yet be reached.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
It is now calling on the authorities to expedite the proceedings, warning that the latest postponement means the case will enter its 15th year without a trial.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
A concealed vent, cunningly let into the real wall, allowed air to enter from outside.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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 Richard Rainolde
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 Mary Baker Eddy
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 Winn Schwartau
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 Thomas Hardy
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 William Cotton
The UN biodiversity summit enters a final day Friday with nations still far from reaching a deal to revive a faltering pledge to stop destroying nature.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
It was, however, the only company to have met its target for internal sewer flooding, or how often wastewater enters a property, every year since 2020-21.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The sequence begins when visual information enters the eyes and continues as the brain interprets that information until a face is recognized.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
He sits in a chair and enters what he calls “a zen state” as makeup manager Jeri Jones begins to apply the first of three prosthetic pieces to his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
He signals for me to go away and then enters the kitchen.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
A bestselling Irish author, Sally Rooney, has entered the controversy, with her publisher Faber revealing this month it can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the group.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Together, these studies included 2,684 older adults who showed no signs of cognitive impairment when they entered the research.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
After the disputed election, Kabila and Tshisekedi entered a power-sharing arrangement that allowed Kabila's coalition to retain control of parliament even after Tshisekedi took office in January 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
In a statement dictated to her legal team, Pike said she entered her scheduled execution at peace and woke up several days later at a hospital, “confused and in pain.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
I stood with the paper between my hands so long that the daily shaft of sunlight entered the cell and fell upon it.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
According to the Argentine migration authority, Bolsonaro boarded a private plane on Tuesday evening in northeastern Puerto Iguazu, 40 minutes after entering Argentina by land.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
"It will take time, but record investment will help secure water supplies, support growth, and end sewage entering rivers and seas," a spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Argentine authorities said they presented valid travel documents and faced no legal restrictions on entering the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
It is not clear the charges to which Beasley will be entering a guilty plea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Speaking of which,” Cook said, a tone entering her voice, “where’d you get that tortoiseshell comb?”
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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