Entry Means the Act, the Door and the Record
An entry is an act of entering, a way in, or an item written in a list. One word does three related jobs.
An entry is the act of entering, the place you enter by, or something written into a record. The third sense comes from bookkeeping: to *enter* a transaction is to write it into the book, so each written item is an entry. Double-entry bookkeeping, the system that records every transaction twice, is named on exactly that logic, and it is where accounting's precision comes from. *No entry* on a sign uses the first sense.
- The act of entering. *Forced entry.*
- A way in. *The main entry.*
- A recorded item. *A dictionary entry.*
- A competition submission. *A winning entry.*
- Double-entry — the bookkeeping system. *Double-entry bookkeeping.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | entry | A late entry. |
| Plural | entries | Ten entries. |
| Verb | enter | Enter here. |
| Noun | entrance | The entrance. |
| Latin | intrare | To go in. |
- Police found signs of forced entry.The act.
- Use the side entry.The place.
- Each entry lists a source.The record.
Entry, entrance, access
- Entry — the act, the opening, or a written item
- Entrance — chiefly the door or opening itself
- Access — the right or ability to enter
- Admission — permission to enter, often paid
- Entryway — an American word for a hall or porch
Old French *entree*, from *entrer*, from Latin *intrare*, to go in, from *intra*, within.
What is double-entry bookkeeping?
A system in which every transaction is recorded twice, as a debit and a credit, so the books must balance.
Entry or entrance?
Entrance usually names the physical opening. Entry can mean that too, but also the act and a written record.