entrée

or en·tree

[ ahn-trey ]

/ ˈɑn treɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR entrée ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a dish served as the main course of a meal.

Older Use. a dish served at dinner between the principal courses.

the privilege of entering; access.

a means of obtaining entry: His friendship with an actor's son was his entrée into the theatrical world.

the act of entering; entrance.

Nearby words

entry, entry blank, entry-level, entryism, entryway, entrée, entwine, entwist, entypy, enucleate, enuf

Origin of entrée

1775–85; < French, noun use of feminine past participle of entrer to enter; see entry

SYNONYMS FOR entrée

3, 4 admission, entry.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR entrée ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for entree

“He had an entree, and I feel that he was very much embraced by the people that he took pictures of,” Marin Hopper says.
Dennis Hopper’s ‘Lost Album’ Displayed in Original Form at Gagosian New York|Isabel Wilkinson|May 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Instead of slaving over the sauce just before dinner, you can chat with your guests, or concentrate on the entree.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Her salary would have given her entree to the board of any cultural institution she eyed, but she didn't seem to be interested.
Ina Drew, the Woman Who Backed JPMorgan’s Bad Bet|Nancy Hass|May 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Ironically, this coincides with feeling jaded about said entree.
The Stars Predict Your Week|Starsky + Cox|August 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Put the pieces of wild duck in an entree dish, add the vegetables, &c., pour the sauce over and serve.
The Cook's Decameron: A Study in Taste:|Mrs. W. G. Waters
The professor, who belonged to the Danish Academy and had the entree to the Court, was astonished, but did not argue with her.
Fair Haven and Foul Strand|August Strindberg
A Member of Parliament must be answerable that you are not dangerous or dull before you can be of the entree.
Table-Talk|William Hazlitt
Julia began laughing as he appeared at the door, which facilitated his entree.
Led Astray and The Sphinx|Octave Feuillet
They had said she was one of the most beautiful girls who had ever made her entree into New York society.
The Adventures of Jimmie Dale|Frank L. Packard

British Dictionary definitions for entree

entrée

/ (ˈɒntreɪ) /

noun

a dish served before a main course

mainly US the main course of a meal

the power or right of entry

Word Origin for entrée

C18: from French, from entrer to enter; in cookery, so called because formerly the course was served after an intermediate course called the relevé (remove)

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