/ˈɛntə(ɹ)/, /ˈɛntɚ/, [ˈɛɾ̃ɚ]
OriginFrom 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.
- intransitiveTo 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.”
- transitiveTo 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.”
- figurativelyTo 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".”
- transitiveTo type (something) into a computer; to input.
“Enter your user name and password.”
- transitiveTo 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.”
- intransitiveTo 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.”
- intransitiveTo become effective; to come into effect.
“This Act shall enter into force on 01 March 1998.”
- To go into or upon, as lands, and take actual possession of them.
- transitiveTo 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”
- 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.
- US, dated, historical, transitiveTo 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.”
- To deposit for copyright the title or description of (a book, picture, map, etc.).
“entered according to act of Congress”
- obsolete, transitiveTo initiate; to introduce favourably.
“This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings, / Shall enter me with him.”
- formal, intransitiveTo 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.”
- The "Enter" key on a computer keyboard.
- A stroke of the Enter key.
Formsenters(present, singular, third-person) · entering(participle, present) · entered(participle, past) · entered(past) · enter(infinitive) · enter(first-person, present, singular) · entered(first-person, past, singular) · entred(archaic, first-person, past, singular) · enter(present, second-person, singular) · enterest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · entrest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · entered(past, second-person, singular) · enteredst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · entredst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · entres(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · entered(past, singular, third-person) · entred(archaic, past, singular, third-person) · enter(plural, present) · entered(past, plural) · entred(archaic, past, plural)