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.
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to make a beginning (often followed by on orupon ).
We have entered upon a new phase in history.
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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.
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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
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to come into possession (of)
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(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
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enterernoun
-
preenterverb (used without object)
-
enterableadjective
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unenterableadjective
-
unenteredadjective
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well-enteredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
entersimple
-
enterssimple
-
have enteredperfect
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has enteredperfect
-
am enteringprogressive
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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:
The bottom line: If you were worried about a stock-market crash in the coming weeks, for no other reason than we’re about to enter October, you can relax.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
She was deemed fit enough to enter her pleas.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The results suggest that starch in these varieties is broken down more slowly, allowing glucose to enter the bloodstream more gradually.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
Afraid to enter their own home, Mark and Rita stayed with a friend for another month or so.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
As soon as we enter, the forest spins around like a carousel, making me dizzy and nauseous.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
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
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
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
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
The central bank enters the meeting with inflation still above its 2% objective, a resilient labor market and energy prices that have been pushed higher by the prolonged Middle East conflict.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Scientists estimate how much methane enters the atmosphere from sources such as wetlands, agriculture, fossil fuels and geological activity, then compare that with the amount removed through atmospheric chemistry and other processes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Garcia is proven at the top level and enters as the favourite, bringing blinding hand speed and a fight-ending left hook.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Accenture Gemini Enterprise Business Group enters a crowded market as tech companies, spending trillions on the infrastructure needed to power the AI boom, are under pressure to speed up adoption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
But whenever that worry enters, I drive it away as fast as I can, just as you have to chase away an ant as soon as you spot it.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Alobaidly's entry, taken in Kuwait, was entered in the Stars and Nebulae category.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Moscow city officials said those who cast their votes electronically would be entered into a lottery, with prizes including subscriptions to music- and video-streaming services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
In early September 2026, Anak Krakatau entered a prolonged explosive phase that lasted for more than 24 hours, sending large amounts of gas and ash into the sky.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Mark Knowles, defending, said McEvoy had entered guilty pleas because she not want to subject the boys to the ordeal of a trial.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
He’d picked up some of my clothes from the stack when he’d entered the house.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
That burn will provide the final amount of energy Roman needs to reach its targeted position before entering its permanent orbit around L2.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
But in a surprise upset for the party, it lost support for the first time since entering parliament in 2010 - down three percentage points on 2022.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“The convergence of recent innovation, a craving for nostalgia and millennial consumers entering higher-earning years are all driving forces,” the analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
When he left United Airlines after 35 years, he was inundated by more financial decisions than he ever expected upon entering the profession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
He placed restrictions on what he would eat, created a list of potential visitors who’d be allowed to see him and another list of those who’d be summarily barred from entering his room.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
