entering
noun
Entering — the ongoing act of moving from outside to within
Definition
The act of entering; "she made a grand entrance"
In depth
Entering names the act of going into a place or state, the active process by which something or someone crosses from outside to inside. The word is plainer and more functional than 'entrance,' describing the motion itself rather than its dramatic or notable quality.
Origin
The word shares its root with 'entrance,' both descending from Latin intrare, to go into. Its grammatical form as a present participle, capable of functioning as a noun, reflects English's flexible capacity to describe ongoing action with the same vocabulary used for completed, static accomplishment.
Usage examples
"Entering the old church, she felt the temperature drop noticeably, as though the building held its own private season."
"His entering the conversation at exactly the wrong moment derailed what had been a delicate negotiation."
"Entering adulthood, she discovered, was less a single threshold than a long series of smaller, less ceremonious ones."
How to use it
Entering is plain, functional vocabulary suited to nearly any context describing the act of going into a place, situation, or stage of life, lacking the inherent drama or theatricality often implied by 'entrance.'
Related concepts
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