entrance
1 Americannoun
-
an act of entering, as into a place or upon new duties.
- Antonyms:
- exit
-
a point or place of entering; an opening or passage for entering, as a doorway.
- Antonyms:
- exit
-
the right, privilege, or permission to enter; admission.
People improperly dressed will be refused entrance to the theater.
-
Theater. the moment or place in the script at which an actor comes on the stage.
-
Music.
-
the point in a musical score at which a particular voice or instrument joins the ensemble.
-
the way in which this is done.
a sloppy entrance.
-
-
a manner, means, or style of entering a room, group, etc.; way of coming into view.
She mimicked Joan's entrance.
-
Nautical. the immersed portion of a hull forward of the middle body (opposed to run).
noun
-
the act or an instance of entering; entry
-
a place for entering, such as a door or gate
-
-
the power, liberty, or right of entering; admission
-
( as modifier )
an entrance fee
-
-
the coming of an actor or other performer onto a stage
verb
-
to fill with wonder and delight; enchant
-
to put into a trance; hypnotize
Synonym Usage
Entrance, admittance, admission refer to the possibility of entering a place or a group. Entrance may refer to either possibility: Entrance is by way of the side door; entrance into a card game. Admittance refers more to place and suggests entrance that may be permitted or denied: to gain admittance to a building; no admittance. Admission refers more to special groups and suggests entrance by payment, by formal or special permission, privilege, and the like: admission to a concert, a game, to candidacy, the bar, to society.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
entrancesimple
-
entrancessimple
-
have entrancedperfect
-
has entrancedperfect
-
am entrancingprogressive
-
are entrancingprogressive
-
is entrancingprogressive
-
have been entrancingperfect progressive
-
has been entrancingperfect progressive
Past
-
entrancedsimple
-
had entrancedperfect
-
was entrancingprogressive
-
were entrancingprogressive
-
had been entrancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entrance1
First recorded in 1525–50; from Middle French; see enter, -ance
Origin of entrance2
Explanation
As a noun, entrance means an act of entering or something that provides a way to enter something. You can make a grand entrance when you arrive at a party, as long as you can actually find the entrance. Entrance has two pronunciations. If you put the accent on the first syllable, the word is a noun meaning the act of entering or the way into something ("an entrance to the building"). If the accent is on the second syllable, then entrance is a verb meaning "to enchant, charm, or enamor" — "You will be entranced by the movie; the scenery looks so real you will swear it is growing in the theater."
Vocabulary lists containing entrance
Beowulf vocabulary
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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myPerspectives 9.2
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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:
The Belfast Trust said its Regional Fertility Centre operates from a "dedicated facility" with "its own separate entrance", while the Southern Trust say fertility treatment is provided from a "standalone clinic".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Their trigger was a government decision in May to void a national medical-school entrance exam after evidence emerged that its questions had circulated in advance on messaging apps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
If confirmed by further research, the pill could mark AstraZeneca's entrance into the massively lucrative weight-loss drug market currently dominated by Denmark's Novo Nordisk and American giant Eli Lilly.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Three days after Good’s death, Amundson drove past a Latino grocery store in her neighborhood and saw a group of people sitting in front of the entrance.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Instead, it seemed to go to the bills piling up on the rickety table at the door entrance.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Some entrances to Westminster Underground station have been shut, Transport for London has confirmed.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Three months later, images from Airbus showed that Iran was already digging out multiple tunnel entrances at the site.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In a slowly emptying village in northern Kazakhstan, wild grass engulfed the entrances of abandoned apartment blocks, as children's songs spilled into the street from the only building still occupied.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Early on, he seemed to accept Lyme’s assertion that the entrances couldn’t be taken, and dropped out of the conversation entirely.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
"I'm entranced by Mr Haaland," said Miami resident Robert, speaking to BBC Mundo.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Two men are entranced by her, a suave doctor played by David Niven and Richard Conte’s impulsive race-car driver.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
That becomes a problem when, after one of their weekly lunches, the three friends stroll around a furniture store, where Camille is entranced by a gorgeous chair she can’t possibly afford.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Since Bad Bunny released his debut album in 2018, he has entranced millions of fans who don’t know a lick of Spanish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
He had read Schrödinger’s What Is Life? and become instantly entranced.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Brazil now need major surgery - starting with the area of the field where they used to be so strong, so creative, so entrancing - the midfield.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The 17th-century painter’s depiction of the biblical figure, who has left behind her life of sin, is a work of entrancing details and pervading stillness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
The lyric, "I'll cry my eyes violet", refers to the star's famously entrancing eyes; and the line "what could you possibly get for the girl who has everything" namechecks one of her films.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
The staccato nature of the writing is helped enormously by the entrancing acting of both Vargas, who breezes through different theatrical realms as though he had wings, and Hernandez, who locks realistically into character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2025
He reads and rereads the words of Herr Friedrick Thiessen, finding them both familiar and entrancing.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
