What does enter mean?
To enter means to come or go into a space, but the word extends well beyond physical movement: one may enter a profession, enter negotiations, enter a competition, or enter information into a database. This flexibility makes enter one of the most versatile verbs in English, appearing everywhere from everyday conversation to legal and technical writing. It carries a neutral tone and works equally well in formal documents and casual speech, though certain fixed patterns exist — English speakers enter into an agreement rather than simply enter an agreement, and they enter data or enter a contest without a preposition. The verb also names the familiar keyboard key used to confirm commands and submit forms, giving it a prominent role in modern digital life. Derived forms such as entry, entrance, and entrant show how productive this small word has been across the language's history.
verbTo come or go into a place; to begin to be involved in or become a member of something such as an organization, agreement, or state.
- To come or go into a physical space.
- To become involved in, join, or embark upon an activity, organization, profession, or state.
- To record or input data, especially into a computer or written record.
- To submit an entry into a competition or contest.
"She entered the room quietly, hoping not to disturb the meeting."
"The students entered the museum just as it opened."
"He entered the data into the spreadsheet before the deadline."
Every time you press the 'Enter' key you are literally invoking Latin — the key is named after a word that has meant 'to go in' for two thousand years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enter
Enter comes from Old French entrer, which derives from the Latin verb intrare, formed from the adverb intra, meaning 'within' or 'inside.' The word passed into Middle English during the medieval period and has remained essentially unchanged in form since. It shares its Latin root with related English words such as entry, entrance, interior, and introduce, all of which preserve the core idea of moving inward.
Related word forms
How enter is actually used
Enter is standard in both formal and informal registers. In computing, 'Enter' also names the keyboard key that submits input or moves to a new line. When used figuratively for agreements ('enter into a contract'), the preposition 'into' is normally required.
Easily confused with enter
An entree is the main course of a meal or, in older British usage, permission to enter somewhere — it is a noun, while enter is a verb meaning to go in.