INDEX:
1. to enter a place
2. to tell someone that they can come into your house, room etc
3. to enter somewhere quietly or secretly
4. to enter a place illegally or by using force
5. to enter a country
6. someone who enters another country
7. when a large number of people enter a country, place, city etc
8. to let someone enter a place
9. to not let someone enter
10. somewhere where you enter
11. when something enters a space, especially through a surface
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LEAVE
to enter a competition, race etc : ↑ TAKE PART/BE INVOLVED
see also
↑ ARRIVE
↑ GET ON OR OFF A BUS, PLANE ETC
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1. to enter a place
▷ go in /ˌgəʊ ˈɪn/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
▪ It was getting cold, so we went in.
▪ There was a man at the door trying to stop people from going in.
▪ Don’t go in my room - it’s a mess.
go into something
▪ Make sure you wipe your feet before you go into the house.
▷ come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
if someone comes in, they enter a room or building that you are in :
▪ That must be Nina coming in right now.
▪ As soon as Adrian came in, everyone stopped talking.
▪ Why don’t you come in the house for a little while and get warmed up.
come into something
▪ When you first come into the building, you’ll see the elevators just across the lobby.
▷ enter /ˈentəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb] formal
to go or come into a room, building, or area :
▪ You need a ticket to enter.
▪ The army entered the city from the north.
▪ As soon as he entered the room, he knew there was something wrong.
▷ get in /ˌget ˈɪn/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to succeed in entering a place, especially when this is difficult or takes a long time :
▪ We queued in the rain for two hours and still didn’t get in.
▪ You usually have to wait a while before you can get in the club.
get into something
▪ You shouldn’t have any trouble getting into the concert - they’ve only sold half the tickets.
▷ gain admission /ˌgeɪn ədˈmɪʃ ə n/ [verb phrase] formal
to succeed in entering a place or being allowed to enter, especially when this is difficult or takes a long time :
▪ Brown gained admission by claiming to be a newspaper photographer.
gain admission to
▪ We had to talk to several guards to gain admission to the courtyard.
▷ burst in /ˌbɜːʳst ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly and noisily enter a room :
▪ Two men with guns burst in and told us to lie on the floor.
burst in on
▪ I ran back to Iris’s and burst in on Polly who was ironing in the kitchen.
burst into something
▪ Lotty burst into the room waving a letter in the air.
▷ barge in /ˌbɑːʳdʒ ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly enter a room where you are not wanted, for example because you are interrupting someone :
▪ I was studying when Ben suddenly barged in.
barge in on
▪ It’s impossible to concentrate when people keep barging in on you.
barge into something
▪ Some of the strikers came barging into the meeting and demanded to speak with the directors.
▷ make an entrance/make your entrance /ˌmeɪk ən ˈentrəns, ˌmeɪk jɔːr ˈentrəns/ [verb phrase]
to enter somewhere in a way that makes the people who are already there notice you :
▪ I waited until everybody was sitting quietly before making my entrance.
make a grand entrance
▪ She walked slowly down the staircase, making a grand entrance.
▷ breeze in /ˌbriːz ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to enter a place confidently and calmly, especially when other people would be a little nervous or embarrassed to enter :
▪ Katie breezes in at eleven o'clock each morning, two hours late.
breeze into something
▪ Giles just breezed into the office, used the phone, and then breezed out again.
2. to tell someone that they can come into your house, room etc
▷ come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ spoken
say come in when you want someone to come into your room, home, or office :
▪ Come in and sit down. I’ll be ready in a minute.
▪ Marge, it’s so good to see you! Come in! Come in!
▪ ‘Come in,’ she said in answer to my second knock.
▷ ask somebody in/invite somebody in /ˌɑːsk somebody ˈɪnǁˌæsk-, ɪnˌvaɪt somebody ˈɪn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to ask someone if they want to come into your home :
▪ Stella didn’t know whether to ask him in or not.
▪ A salesman came around this morning and I made the mistake of inviting him in.
ask sb in/invite sb in for
▪ She seemed so upset, I felt I had to ask her in for a cup of tea.
▷ come on in /ˌkʌm ɒn ˈɪn/ spoken
say come on in when you want someone to come into your room, home, or office, especially when you want to be friendly and make the other person feel welcome :
▪ Hi! Come on in! Can I fix you something to drink?
▪ ‘Mike, could I talk with you a minute?’ ‘Sure, come on in.’
3. to enter somewhere quietly or secretly
▷ sneak in /ˌsniːk ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to enter a place secretly, hoping that no one will notice you :
▪ When he was drunk he would sneak in late, hoping his wife was asleep.
sneak into something
▪ He had a passion for bebop and was sneaking into jazz clubs at age 14.
sneak somebody in
help someone else sneak in
▪ We wanted to sneak my dad in, so my mom wouldn’t see.
▷ slip in /ˌslɪp ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to enter a place quietly and quickly without being noticed :
▪ Maggie opened the door silently and slipped in.
slip into something
▪ A few latecomers had slipped into the room and were standing at the back of the audience.
4. to enter a place illegally or by using force
▷ enter /ˈentəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ A man was arrested for trying to enter the actress’s Beverly Hills home.
enter through/by etc
▪ It appears the burglars entered through a back window.
▷ get in /ˌget ˈɪn/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to succeed in entering a room, building, or area which is locked or difficult to enter, especially by using force or by finding an unusual way in :
▪ How did you get in? I thought the door was locked.
▪ Some animals hadn’t gotten in the shed and made a mess.
get into something
▪ Thieves had apparently got into the apartments by posing as electricians.
▷ break in /ˌbreɪk ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to enter a building by using force, in order to steal something :
▪ If anyone tries to break in, the alarm will go off.
break into something
▪ Thieves broke into the gallery and made off with paintings valued at over $2 million.
▷ gain entry/gain access /ˌgeɪn ˈentri, ˌgeɪn ˈækses/ [verb phrase]
if someone, especially criminals or the police gain entry or gain access, they succeed in entering a locked building or room, especially by using force :
▪ The police gained entry by smashing down the door.
gain entry/gain access to
▪ Somehow the woman had gained access to his dressing room and was waiting there when he came off the stage.
▷ force your way in /ˌfɔːʳs jɔːʳ weɪ ˈɪn/ [verb phrase]
to enter a building or room by using force, especially when someone is trying to stop you :
▪ They’ve blocked the door. We’ll have to force our way in.
force your way into something
▪ Police eventually forced their way into the building and arrested the gunman.
▷ breaking and entering /ˌbreɪkɪŋ and ˈentərɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of entering a place illegally, especially with the intention of stealing something :
▪ You can’t just go into his apartment when he’s not there - that’s breaking and entering.
▪ He was caught in the school at night and has been charged with breaking and entering.
▷ trespass /ˈtrespəs, -pæs/ [intransitive verb]
to illegally enter or be on someone’s land or in a building without permission from the owner :
▪ Get out of the yard! Can’t you see the sign? It says ‘No Trespassing.’
trespass on
▪ Carlson was fined $1000 for trespassing on government property.
trespasser [countable noun]
▪ Trespassers will be prosecuted.
▷ penetrate /ˈpenɪtreɪt, ˈpenətreɪt/ [transitive verb]
to enter an area that is well guarded or dangerous to enter - used especially in a military context :
▪ The barbed wire fences and security shields made the air base very difficult to penetrate.
5. to enter a country
▷ enter /ˈentəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ Everyone entering the country must show a passport.
▪ The barbed wire fences and mine fields are designed to stop people leaving or entering.
▪ Congress is considering raising the number of skilled workers who may enter the country each year.
▷ cross the border /ˌkrɒs ðə ˈbɔːʳdəʳǁˌkrɔːs-/ [verb phrase]
to enter a country from another country which is next to it, and is not separated from it by the sea :
▪ Many people cross the border illegally in search of work.
cross the border into
▪ Every day more and more desperate refugees were crossing the border into Kenya.
▷ immigrate /ˈɪmɪgreɪt, ˈɪməgreɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to enter another country in order to live there permanently :
immigrate to
▪ Her father immigrated to America from China in 1947.
▪ Born in Jamaica, Rigby had immigrated to England 30 years before.
immigration /ˌɪmɪˈgreɪʃ ə n, ˌɪməˈgreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
immigrate to/into
▪ Most immigration to New York City has been from the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
6. someone who enters another country
▷ immigrant /ˈɪmɪgrənt, ˈɪməgrənt/ [countable noun]
someone who enters another country in order to live there permanently :
▪ The new immigrants come mainly from Asia and Latin America.
immigrant from
▪ Jae Min’s parents are immigrants from South Korea.
immigrant to
▪ The winery was started by an Italian immigrant to California.
legal/illegal immigrant
▪ The bill would have cut off government aid even to legal immigrants.
▷ refugee /ˌrefjʊˈdʒiː/ [countable noun]
someone who enters another country because they are not safe in their own country, for example because there is a war there :
▪ The government has been unable to provide enough tents for all the refugees.
refugee from
▪ Most of the refugees from the former war zone have now been sent back.
political refugee
▪ Britain has traditionally been a safe haven for political refugees.
▷ asylum-seeker /əˈsaɪləm-ˌsiːkəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who asks to be allowed to enter another country because they are not safe in their own country, especially because of their political beliefs or activities :
▪ Too often asylum-seekers are treated like criminals.
▪ Officially recognized asylum-seekers cannot be deported.
▷ immigration /ˌɪmɪˈgreɪʃ ə n, ˌɪməˈgreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when people enter a country in order to live there permanently :
▪ Most people in the UK believe that immigration has enriched the economy and national culture.
▪ Immigration reached its peak in the 1950s.
▪ Immigration officials stopped and arrested the man at JFK airport.
7. when a large number of people enter a country, place, city etc
▷ pour in/flood in /ˌpɔːr ˈɪn, ˌflʌd ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a lot of people pour in or flood in, they all enter a place at the same time :
▪ Once the region was declared safe, tourists started flooding in again.
pour/flood into something
▪ An estimated 50,000 people poured into London over the weekend for the opening of the Commonwealth Games.
▷ crowd in /ˌkraʊd ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a lot of people crowd in, they all enter a place, especially a place that is not big enough for so many people :
▪ People kept crowding in, and one woman started to panic.
crowd into something
▪ More than 100 people crowded into the fire station for Thursday night’s council meeting.
▷ troop in /ˌtruːp ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a group of people troop in they enter a place, often in a tired or unwilling way :
▪ After the game they all trooped in to eat.
troop into something
▪ Every morning we had to troop into the school hall for roll call.
▷ trickle in /ˌtrɪk ə l ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if people trickle in, they enter a place gradually and not all at the same time :
▪ A few fans had already started to trickle in.
trickle into something
▪ The bell rang, and the students trickled into the class.
▷ influx /ˈɪnflʌks/ [uncountable noun]
the sudden or unexpected arrival of a large number of people :
influx of
▪ The influx of migrants to the city is estimated at 1,000 per week.
▪ The sudden influx of families needing work and housing caused some problems at first.
▷ flood /flʌd/ [singular noun]
a large number of people entering a place at the same time :
flood of
▪ The company has employed a number of new staff to cope with the flood of visitors to the site.
▪ A flood of refugees poured over the bridge to escape the fighting.
8. to let someone enter a place
▷ let somebody in /ˌlet somebody ˈɪn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
▪ Let me in! It’s freezing out here.
▪ There’s Ryan at the door. Let him in, would you?
▪ Who let those guys in? They don’t belong here.
▪ Don’t let anybody in the house while I’m gone.
let somebody into something
▪ His girlfriend was there and let me into the apartment.
▷ admit /ədˈmɪt/ [transitive verb]
to officially allow someone to enter a public place in order to watch a game, performance etc :
▪ Children under 17 will not be admitted.
admit somebody to something
▪ They refused to admit Paul to the performance because of what he was wearing.
9. to not let someone enter
▷ keep out /ˌkiːp ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to prevent someone from entering a place, for example by locking doors and windows, or building fences :
keep out somebody
▪ He bought a new security system to keep out intruders.
keep somebody out
▪ Family members can go in to visit him, but we need to keep everyone else out.
keep somebody out of something
▪ Try to keep Ed out of the bedroom while I finish wrapping his present.
▷ shut out /ˌʃʌt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to shut a door, window etc in order to prevent someone from entering, especially because they would be interrupting you or annoying you :
shut out somebody
▪ He slammed the door, shutting out the dogs.
shut somebody out (of something)
▪ John shut everybody out of the kitchen so that he could prepare his grand surprise.
▷ lock out /ˌlɒk ˈaʊtǁˌlɑːk-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to stop someone from entering a place by locking a door :
lock somebody out/lock out somebody
▪ Her husband threw her out of the trailer without shoes or clothes and locked her out.
lock somebody out of something
▪ I can’t believe I locked myself out of the house again.
▷ refuse entry /rɪˌfjuːz ˈentri/ [verb phrase]
to refuse to allow someone to enter a country or a public place :
refuse somebody entry
▪ Immigration officials refused her entry because they thought she was planning to stay.
refuse entry to somebody
▪ The management reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone who is improperly dressed.
▷ turn away /ˌtɜːʳn əˈweɪ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to refuse to let someone into a place where a public event is happening, especially because it is full :
turn somebody away/turn away somebody
▪ Hundreds of disappointed fans were turned away at the gates.
▪ The club’s so popular, we have to turn people away every night.
▷ bar/ban /bɑːʳ, bæn/ [transitive verb]
to officially forbid someone from entering a building or area, especially because they have caused trouble or because it is dangerous for them to go there :
▪ The tavern banned Ted for starting a fight.
bar/ban somebody from something
▪ We’ve had to bar visitors from the garden because some of the pathways aren’t safe.
bar/ban somebody for life
forbidden from entering for the rest of your life
▪ After the incident at the country club, Chuck was banned for life.
10. somewhere where you enter
▷ entrance /ˈentrəns/ [countable noun]
entrance to
▪ It took us ages to find the entrance to the park.
back/front/side entrance
▪ Davis used a side entrance to avoid the waiting reporters.
▷ entry/entryway /ˈentri, ˈentriweɪ/ [countable noun] American
the door or space you go through to enter a place :
▪ Over the entryway was an inscription in Latin.
entry/entryway to/of
▪ We stopped at the entry to the church to admire the architecture.
▷ way in /ˌweɪ ˈɪn/ [countable noun]
the entrance to a large public building :
▪ We walked all the way around the museum looking for the way in.
▪ There’s a red flashing sign above the door saying ‘Way In’ - you can’t miss it.
▷ access /ˈækses/ [uncountable noun]
the way things are arranged so that the public can enter somewhere :
▪ The entrance has been widened to give improved access for disabled people.
access to
▪ City officials are considering building a path to give the public access to the ruins.
11. when something enters a space, especially through a surface
▷ enter /ˈentəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ The bullet entered his rib cage from the left side.
enter through/by etc
▪ Bacteria can enter through a cut or graze on the skin.
▷ penetrate /ˈpenɪtreɪt, ˈpenətreɪt/ [transitive verb]
if something penetrates an object or substance, it fully enters it, or goes through it :
▪ The sun’s rays can penetrate the sea to a depth of twenty metres.
▪ He threw a grenade that penetrated the wall of the building and exploded inside.
▷ seep in /ˌsiːp ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if liquid seeps in, it gradually enters a substance or a place :
▪ Despite all our efforts to stop it, the floodwater was still seeping in.
seep into something
▪ Chemicals from the plant have seeped into the city’s water supply.
▷ permeate /ˈpɜːʳmieɪt/ [transitive verb]
if a liquid or gas permeates an object or substance it enters it and spreads through it :
▪ Toxic chemicals may permeate the soil, threatening the environment.