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:
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
Another resident reported that, in April, a Waymo was idling for more than five minutes in front of the entrance to a church parking garage during a Sunday service, preventing parishioners from entering and exiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The rescheduled dinner was smaller and more tightly controlled than April’s event, with a single entrance, multiple security screenings and no traditional red carpet.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Public frustration has mounted following a series of exam irregularities, including the leak of a medical entrance examination paper and problems with an online marking system for high school students.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
My brother pulls me through an opening in a mountain of sandbags to the entrance of a shelter.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
In the countryside west of the Welsh capital, farmers have a WhatsApp group to warn of suspicious vehicles and some have barricaded the entrances to their fields with concrete blocks and fallen trees.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In multiple missile base locations throughout the country, Iran has been setting new roads and reinforcing tunnel entrances, according to Ben Tzion Macales, an Israeli geo-analyst who has studied commercial satellite images of the sites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
This season, not everybody’s entering Episode 1; there are delayed entrances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
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
As someone who’s been entranced by cars ever since high school, Toliver uses his car obsession as a vehicle for his own sonic discovery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
His eyes were entranced, and he could sense the wary, watchful evil outside the brush house; he could feel the dark creeping things waiting for him to go out into the night.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
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
It doesn’t hurt, of course, that this veteran dreamweaver’s key cast are entrancing, inviting specimens themselves, led by an inner glow of compassion in Leung that feels like its own natural energy source.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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
What’s most entrancing, however, is Poots, who brings to bear the fullness of her being without ever tipping over into “showcase” acting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
Naomi had found the gentle flicker of the flares entrancing, and Muff had smiled and squeezed her arm.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
