Enter (verb) — to go or come into a place; to type or input data into a computer, form, or system; to take part in a competition, exam, or formal process. Example: Please enter your name and email address below.
What Does Enter Mean?
Enter descends from Old French entrer and Latin intrare (to go inside), built on intra meaning "within". The word reached Middle English in the 14th century, bringing with it the sense of crossing a threshold — whether physical or figurative. The same Latin root underlies entry, entrance, interior, and even intrude.
In everyday British English, enter covers three overlapping but distinct meanings. When used for physical movement, it means to go through a doorway or opening into an enclosed space: They entered the conference room at nine o'clock. In the digital world, it means to type or supply information: Enter your postcode to check availability. In formal or competitive contexts, it means to register or take part: Over two hundred athletes entered the marathon.
Because enter is already a transitive verb that carries the sense of movement inside, adding into for physical places is unnecessary and considered an error in standard British English. However, enter into is correct — and required — in abstract collocations such as enter into an agreement, enter into negotiations, and enter into a discussion.
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| Please enter your password to continue. | A2 | enter = type or input data |
| The children entered the classroom one by one. | B1 | enter = go into (physical space); no preposition needed |
| She decided to enter the national spelling competition. | B1 | enter = take part in a competition |
| The two firms entered into a formal partnership agreement last spring. | B2 | enter into = begin a formal process or relationship |
| Once the data has been entered and validated, the system generates an automated report. | C1 | passive construction; enter = input data |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| enter a room | He paused before entering the room. |
| enter a password / code | Enter your four-digit PIN to unlock the device. |
| enter a competition | Thousands of people entered the photography competition. |
| enter data / details / information | Staff must enter the data manually every morning. |
| enter into an agreement | The parties entered into a binding agreement in March. |
| enter into negotiations | Both sides agreed to enter into negotiations next week. |
| enter the market | The company plans to enter the European market next year. |
| enter a name / address | Please enter your full name and home address in the fields below. |
| enter a plea | The defendant entered a plea of not guilty. |
| enter a new phase / era | Relations between the two countries have entered a new phase. |
Usage Notes
- No preposition for physical spaces. British English requires enter the building, not enter into the building. The preposition into is only added in abstract or formal fixed phrases.
- Enter into is fixed in formal language. Enter into an agreement / contract / discussion / negotiations are set collocations in legal, business, and academic writing. Omitting into here sounds unnatural.
- Regular verb — no spelling changes. The past simple and past participle are both entered. The present participle is entering. There are no irregular forms.
- Computing sense. In digital contexts, enter is the standard verb for typing or supplying information: enter a search term, enter your card details, press Enter. This is now one of the most frequent uses of the word.
- Formal register. Enter is slightly more formal than go into for physical movement. In speech, go into is more common; in writing and official contexts, enter is preferred.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
The visitor entered into the building without permission.
The visitor entered the building without permission. (No "into" with physical places.)
We need to enter in the data before midday.
We need to enter the data before midday. (No "in" — enter is already transitive.)
She entered to the competition last month.
She entered the competition last month. (Enter takes a direct object, not a prepositional phrase with "to".)