enter

verbnouncommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈɛntə(ɹ)//
United States//ˈɛntɚ//
United States/[ˈɛɾ̃ɚ]/

To go or come into an enclosed or partially enclosed space.

verb

1
To go or come into an enclosed or partially enclosed space.
You should knock before you enter, unless you want to see me naked.
[…]you can fynde in youre heartes to assaulte her with rebellion, or in any wise [ways] suffer any one eyvil motion to enter into your thoughtes against her?
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.[…]Strangers might enter the room, but they were made to feel that they were there on sufferance: they were received with distance and suspicion.
2
To cause to go (into), or to be received (into); to put in; to insert; to cause to be admitted.
to enter a knife into a piece of wood
to enter a boy at college, a horse for a race, etc.
3
figurativeTo go or come into (a state or profession).
My twelve-year-old son will be entering his teens next year.
She had planned to enter the legal profession.
Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. … But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining".
4
To type (something) into a computer; to input.
Enter your user name and password.
5
To record (something) in an account, ledger, etc.
Each amount entered in the debit column of the journal is posted by entering it on the credit side/column of an account in the ledger.
6
To come on to the stage during a performance. Used as a stage direction, usually preceding the name of the character who appears.
7
figurativeTo come on to the stage during a performance. Used in the manner of a stage direction: to enter the picture, to become relevant.
I’m usually a shoulder bag kind of girl, just because it fits my vibe more. But when I’m on my feet for hours—running through crowded airports or touring a new city—the last thing I want to think about is my stuff. Enter: A good crossbody.
8
To become a party to an agreement, treaty, etc.
I am pleased to notify the Congress of my intent to enter into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Government of Singapore.
9
To become effective; to come into effect.
This Act shall enter into force on 01 March 1998.
10
To go into or upon, as lands, and take actual possession of them.
11
To place in regular form before the court, usually in writing; to put upon record in proper from and order.
to enter a writ, appearance, rule, or judgment
12
To make report of (a vessel or its cargo) at the custom house; to submit a statement of (imported goods), with the original invoices, to the proper customs officer for estimating the duties. See entry.
13
datedTo file, or register with the land office, the required particulars concerning (a quantity of public land) in order to entitle a person to a right of preemption.
Under existing laws governing the qualifications of an alien to enter 160 acres or more of the public domain he is only required to file his declaration of intent to become a citizen.
14
To deposit for copyright the title or description of (a book, picture, map, etc.).
entered according to act of Congress
15
obsoleteTo initiate; to introduce favourably.
This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings, / Shall enter me with him.
16
To begin (a regular activity or job); to undertake; to take up.
[…] I entered, that same day, on a regular occupation of pushing Miss Havisham in this chair […] round her own room, and across the landing, and round the other room.

Etymology

From Middle English entren, from Old French entrer, from Latin intrō (“enter”, verb), from intrā (“inside”). Has been spelled as "enter" for several centuries even in the United Kingdom, although British English and the English of many Commonwealth Countries (e.g. Australia, Canada) retain the "re" ending for many words such as centre, fibre, spectre, theatre, calibre, sombre, lustre, and litre.

noun

1
The action of entering; an instance of entering.
2
Variant of EnterAlternative spelling of Enter (“the computer key”).
3
Variant of EnterAlternative spelling of Enter (“a stroke of the computer key”).

Forms

plural: enters
past tense: entered
past participle: entered
present participle: entering
third person singular: enters

ensign · A badge of office, rank, or power.Ensign · A surname.ensure · To make sure or certain of something (usually some future…

enter · To go or come into an enclosed or partially enclosed space.

Enter · The "Enter" key on a computer keyboard.entering · action of the verb to enter enterprise · A company, business, organization, or other purposeful…

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.