What does "enter" mean?
Alternative spelling of Enter (“the computer key”).
Enter
/ˈɛntɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Alternative spelling of Enter (“the computer key”).
- Grammar: enter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: come in, go in, enroll, accede.
- Useful contrasts: blank file, away, bypassing.
- Usage evidence: Take off your hat when you enter a classroom.
How to use "enter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "enter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "enter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "enter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "enter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "enter" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "come in" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "enter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Alternative spelling of Enter (“the computer key”). alt-of, alternative
- 2 The "Enter" key on a computer keyboard.
- 3 Alternative spelling of Enter (“a stroke of the computer key”). alt-of, alternative
- 4 A stroke of the Enter key.
Verb
- 1 To go or come into an enclosed or partially enclosed space. intransitive
"You should knock before you enter, unless you want to see me naked."
- 2 set out on (an enterprise or subject of study) wordnet
- 3 To cause to go (into), or to be received (into); to put in; to insert; to cause to be admitted. transitive
"to enter a knife into a piece of wood"
- 4 make a record of; set down in permanent form wordnet
- 5 To go or come into (a state or profession). figuratively
"My twelve-year-old son will be entering his teens next year."
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 become a participant; be involved in wordnet
- 7 To type (something) into a computer; to input. transitive
"Enter your user name and password."
- 8 put or introduce into something wordnet
- 9 To record (something) in an account, ledger, etc. transitive
"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."
- 10 come on stage wordnet
- 11 To become a party to an agreement, treaty, etc. intransitive
"I am pleased to notify the Congress of my intent to enter into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Government of Singapore."
- 12 to come or go into wordnet
- 13 To become effective; to come into effect. intransitive
"This Act shall enter into force on 01 March 1998."
- 14 take on duties or office wordnet
- 15 To go into or upon, as lands, and take actual possession of them.
- 16 register formally as a participant or member wordnet
- 17 To place in regular form before the court, usually in writing; to put upon record in proper from and order transitive
"to enter a writ, appearance, rule, or judgment"
- 18 be or play a part of or in wordnet
- 19 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.
- 20 To 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. US, dated, historical, transitive
"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."
- 21 To deposit for copyright the title or description of (a book, picture, map, etc.).
"entered according to act of Congress"
- 22 To initiate; to introduce favourably. obsolete, transitive
"This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings, / Shall enter me with him."
- 23 To begin (a regular activity or job); to undertake; to take up. formal, intransitive
"[…] 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."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Take off your hat when you enter a classroom."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "enter"?
Common synonyms include: come in, go in, enroll, accede, access, accessed.
How do you use "enter" in a sentence?
Take off your hat when you enter a classroom.
How do you pronounce "enter"?
Pronounced /ˈɛntɚ/.
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.