Meaning & use
entered
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“entered” is a form of “enter”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Came or went into a place.
Grammar: Takes a direct object with no preposition: she entered the room.
Patterns
- entered something
- entered through something
She entered the room and sat by the window.
The thieves entered through a broken back window.
A cold wind entered the house when the door opened.
verbtransitive
Joined or began to take part in an activity, contest, profession or event.
Grammar: Takes an object: he entered the race; with into, it can mean began a discussion or agreement.
Patterns
- entered something
- entered into something
He entered the marathon after only two months of training.
Their company entered the Asian market last year.
She entered politics at the age of thirty.
verbtransitivecomputing
Typed or recorded information into a computer, form or record.
Grammar: The object is the information: she entered the data.
Patterns
- entered something into something
The clerk entered the new address into the database.
He entered his password twice before it worked.
I entered all the scores into the spreadsheet.
verbtransitive
Began a new period, stage or situation.
Grammar: Takes an abstract object: entered a new phase.
Patterns
- entered a phase
The country entered a long period of peace.
The project entered its final phase in March.
Talks between the two sides entered a difficult stage.
Common combinations
- entered the room
- He entered the room quietly so as not to wake the baby.
- entered a competition
- She entered a competition and won a bicycle.
- entered the data
- The assistant entered the data by hand.
- entered into an agreement
- The two firms entered into an agreement last spring.
- entered service
- The new bus entered service in January.
Synonyms and how they differ
- went into
- Went into is a plain everyday phrase for physical movement, but it is not used for typing data or joining a contest.
- joined
- Joined suits groups and activities, as in joined the club, while entered also works for contests and rooms.
- typed
- Typed describes only keyboard input, but entered covers any way of putting information in, including by hand or voice.
- registered
- Registered is more formal and means signed up officially, whereas entered a contest can be as simple as turning up.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: entered or entered into?
entered vs entered into
Entered into means began a formal arrangement such as an agreement or a discussion, and is not used for physical places.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Enter takes a direct object when it means to go into a place, so no preposition is needed. Entered into would be used for agreements, not rooms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “entered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.