entrance

The word “entrance” means a doorway, gate, or opening through which one enters a place. In plain terms, a way in (noun), or to captivate someone so completely they seem hypnotized (verb).

“Entrance” is pronounced EHN-truhns (/ˈɛn.tɹəns/ in IPA).

Here is “entrance” used in a sentence: “Meet me at the main entrance of the museum.”

Words with a similar meaning to “entrance” include ingang.

The opposite of “entrance” — its antonyms — is exit.

Depending on how it is used, “entrance” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “entrance” comes from Middle French. The noun comes from Middle French entrance ("entry"). The unrelated-looking verb sense is actually "en-" + "trance," meaning to put someone into a trance-like state of wonder.

“Entrance” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

Both can refer to a way in or the act of entering, and in many sentences they are interchangeable. Entrance is the more common word for the physical doorway or gate itself, while entry also has separate meanings such as an item entered in a competition, list, or dictionary.

They are two different words spelled the same. The noun, stressed on the first syllable, means a doorway or the act of entering; the verb, stressed on the second syllable, means to fill someone with wonder or hold their attention as if by magic.

For the physical way in, entrance to is the usual choice, as in the entrance to the building. Entrance of is more common when describing the act of entering, as in the entrance of the bride, though at the entrance of the cave is also heard.