entrance
1 Americannoun
-
entrances
plural
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an act of entering, as into a place or upon new duties.
- Antonyms:
- exit
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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.
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Theater. the moment or place in the script at which an actor comes on the stage.
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Music.
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the point in a musical score at which a particular voice or instrument joins the ensemble.
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the way in which this is done.
a sloppy entrance.
-
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a manner, means, or style of entering a room, group, etc.; way of coming into view.
She mimicked Joan's entrance.
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Nautical. the immersed portion of a hull forward of the middle body (opposed to run).
noun
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the act or an instance of entering; entry
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a place for entering, such as a door or gate
-
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the power, liberty, or right of entering; admission
-
( as modifier )
an entrance fee
-
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the coming of an actor or other performer onto a stage
verb
-
to fill with wonder and delight; enchant
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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
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entrancessimple
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have entrancedperfect
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has entrancedperfect
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am entrancingprogressive
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are entrancingprogressive
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is entrancingprogressive
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have been entrancingperfect progressive
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has been entrancingperfect progressive
Past
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entrancedsimple
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had entrancedperfect
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was entrancingprogressive
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were entrancingprogressive
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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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myPerspectives 9.2
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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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:
Fishermen on Thursday blocked the entrance to two ports and a petrol depot in southern France in protest at rising fuel prices linked to the US-Iran war.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The glory of the museum is its entrance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The people using the cave instead chose grasses growing relatively close to its entrance.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Garcia, who is of Mexican heritage, took considerably longer over his entrance, walking out to mariachi music on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Whatever had been dragged across the entrance didn’t seem to be a perfect fit.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Soon, local men were standing guard in shifts at the two entrances into town, aiming their weapons at trucks laden with freshly picked avocados and cars packed with farmhands as they demanded identity documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Near brightly lit cave entrances, several kinds of algae and plants grew in the water.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
And in recent months, satellite imagery indicate continued work on access roads and tunnel entrances around Pickaxe Mountain.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Many restaurants display Turkish-language menus outside their entrances.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Dumbledore’s anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
"I'm entranced by Mr Haaland," said Miami resident Robert, speaking to BBC Mundo.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The two actors—and Mr. Rash’s script—make them human, and genuine, and kept this viewer close to entranced despite the staginess of the production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
A protective barrier prevented her from entering, and the deteriorating balconies made it look a bit unsafe, but peeking through the windows, she was entranced by the yellow kitchen.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2026
Having never done things before, she was entranced by these small satisfactions; she was astounded when, pausing at the sink, a door of sun opening and shutting on her wrist, she realized — yes.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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
Zimmer, a New York City comedian, is tasked with a heavy, grief-laden dramatic role, and she’s utterly convincing, entrancing in her stillness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 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 learning-center displays, for example, are often entrancing, particularly a 50-foot glass vitrine featuring a stunning array of more than 130 menorahs from around the globe, dating back to the first millennium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Although he was not a religious person, seeing the skyline made him feel what is called in Latin the mysterium tremendum et fascinans—that stomach-flipping mix of awestruck fear and entrancing fascination.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
