entrance
noun
Entrance — the deliberate, often dramatic act of stepping into a space
Definition
The act of entering; "she made a grand entrance"
In depth
An entrance is the act of entering, particularly when that entering is notable, deliberate, or theatrical — a grand entrance commands attention, marking the moment a person becomes visible and present within a scene. The word also names, distinctly, the physical opening or doorway through which one enters.
Origin
The word descends from Old French entrance, an entering, from entrer, to enter, ultimately from Latin intrare, to go into, formed from intra (within). Its long theatrical use, naming an actor's appearance on stage, has lent the word a lasting sense of performance and deliberate visibility, even in entirely non-theatrical contexts.
Usage examples
"She made a grand entrance, arriving fashionably late to a room that had clearly been waiting for her."
"The building's entrance had been designed deliberately to overwhelm, a vast hall meant to humble every visitor before they reached the offices beyond."
"His entrance into politics surprised no one who had watched him build a following for years beforehand."
How to use it
Entrance works across literal physical description, theatrical staging, and figurative description of beginning a new field or stage of life. The word's theatrical association makes it particularly vivid for describing any deliberately dramatic or noticeable arrival.
Related concepts
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