re-enter
Britishverb
Explanation
To re-enter is to come in again after going out, the way you might run back to your car, grab your shopping bags, and then re-enter the grocery store. To enter is to go in, from a root that means "between or among," and the prefix re- means "again." Whenever you exit a place, you can choose to re-enter it later (unless you're at a concert and there's a sign reading "no re-entry"). A space shuttle that returns to Earth's atmosphere re-enters it, and an injured basketball player might decide to re-enter the game again in the final quarter.
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.
Customs and Border Protection spokesman said, “When someone with an expired parole leaves the country and tries to re-enter the US, they will be stopped in compliance with our laws and regulations.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
“Campers with reservations are hesitant to leave the park, knowing that it may take up to two hours to re-enter on busy days,” the department statement read.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Six merchant vessels obeyed direction from U.S. forces to reverse course and re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, Centcom said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
With stronger capital positions and evolving regulatory frameworks, large banks are now in a position to re-enter areas of the market.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
“Request permission,” it stated, “for Mary Rose to re-enter Portsmouth Harbor after a rather long commission of 437 years.”
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
