noun
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the act of going or coming in; an entering
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a way in; entrance
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the right or permission to enter
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astronomy another name for immersion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ingress
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ingressus a going in, commencing, equivalent to ingred-, stem of ingredī to go or step into, commence ( see in- 2, gradient) + -tus suffix of v. action, with -dt- > -ss-
Explanation
The act of entering something — like a building or a highway — is called ingress (antonym "egress"). If you work in a busy restaurant, you have to keep your kitchen ingress and egress straight or you risk a catastrophe with a full tray of dishes. In astronomy, ingress is also an act of entering, but it is at the beginning of an eclipse when the celestial body first begins to block the sun and cast a shadow. So in a lunar eclipse, ingress is when the Earth begins to pass between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon. In a solar eclipse, ingress is when the Moon begins to pass across the face of the Sun, blocking it from the sight of observers on Earth.
Vocabulary lists containing ingress
"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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A Tale of Two Cities
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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.
Amazon says it notified the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department several times throughout the day of “hostile acts by the picketers and blocking the ingress and egress of the site.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is seeking to rebuild a cancer ward at Scotland's largest hospital after issues with mould and water ingress.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
Checkpoints currently block public access at major ingress points to the community.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025
"These are all gaps where water can ingress," Robin adds.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2024
“Speaking of which, I may have a picture of—yes, here it is. An ingress point if ever there was one!”
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
