Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

enter

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

verb

/ˈentə(r)/

present tense
I/you/we/they	enter
he/she/it	enters
present participle	entering
past tense	entered
past participle	entered

Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

Get It Right!

1
[intransitive/transitive] to go or come into a place
Soldiers entered the houses, apparently searching for weapons.
The man had entered through the back door.
The bullet missed his kidney because it entered his body at an angle.
They were imprisoned for illegally entering the country.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
1. a.
  [transitive] to start or reach a particular period of time in a process or activity
  The war had already entered its third week.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
2. b.
  [transitive] to begin to affect someone's actions or behaviour
  A hint of emotion entered his voice for the first time.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
2
[transitive] to start to take part in a particular activity or to work in a particular job
There are dozens of new companies entering the software market.
She had hoped to enter the legal profession.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
1. a.
  [intransitive/transitive] if you enter a race or competition, or if someone enters you, you put your name on the list of those taking part
  She's entered several poetry competitions.
  Each owner can enter a horse for a maximum of three races.
  The competition is free, and anyone over the age of 18 can enter.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
3
[transitive] to write something somewhere, for example in a book, on a form, or on a computer
You enter the customer's name on this line.
Enter your user name and password.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter
1. a.
  to state something officially
  A number of complaints have been entered by senior members.
  enter a plea of (=say formally whether you are guilty of a crime):
  The defendant entered a plea of 'not guilty'.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter

phrase

enter your mind/head
if a thought enters your head, you think about it or consider it
Why such a bizarre notion should have entered her head I cannot imagine.
It never entered my head to do anything else.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of enter

phrasal verbs

Get It Right!: enter

Get it right: enter

Enter is usually a transitive verb, and it takes a direct object. It is not used with the prepositions into or in:

✗ After entering into university, students make a lot of new friends.

✓ After entering university, students make a lot of new friends.

✗ In the past it was unthinkable that a woman could enter in politics.

✓ In the past it was unthinkable that a woman could enter politics.

Don't confuse this use with the phrasal verb enter into, which means 'to start to take part in a discussion' or 'to agree to be part of an agreement or contract':

Today, eighteen-year olds are considered responsible enough to enter into contracts.

This is the British English definition of enter. View American English definition of enter.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for enter.

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

emancipation

the process of giving freedom and rights to someone

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog