Entrance, n.
Etymology: [OF. entrance, fr. OF. & F. entrant, p. pr. of entrer to enter. See Enter.]
1. The act of entering or going into; ingress; as, the entrance of a person into a house or an apartment; hence, the act of taking possession, as of property, or of office; as, the entrance of an heir upon his inheritance, or of a magistrate into office.
2. Liberty, power, or permission to enter; as, to give entrance to friends. Shak.
3. The passage, door, or gate, for entering. Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city. Judg. i. 24.
4. The entering upon; the beginning, or that with which the beginning is made; the commencement; initiation; as, a difficult entrance into business. "Beware of entrance to a quarrel." Shak. St. Augustine, in the entrance of one of his discourses, makes a kind of apology. Hakewill.
2 more senses
5. The causing to be entered upon a register, as a ship or goods, at a customhouse; an entering; as, his entrance of the arrival was made the same day.
6. (Naut.) (a) The angle which the bow of a vessel makes with the water at the water line. Ham. Nav. Encyc. (b) The bow, or entire wedgelike forepart of a vessel, below the water line. Totten.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Entrance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Entranced; p. pr. & vb. n. Entrancing.]
1. To put into a trance; to make insensible to present objects. Him, still entranced and in a litter laid, They bore from field and to the bed conveyed. Dryden.
2. To put into an ecstasy; to ravish with delight or wonder; to enrapture; to charm. And I so ravished with her heavenly note, I stood entranced, and had no room for thought. Dryden.
Shades of meaning
Entrance, the act of entering, refers merely to the fact of passing from without to within some enclosure; admission and admittance refer to entering by or with some one's consent, or at least to opportunity afforded by some one's act or neglect. We may effect or force an entrance, but not admittance or admission; those we gain, procure, obtain, secure, win. Admittance refers to place, admission refers also to position, privilege, favor, friendship, etc. An intruder may gain admittance to the hall of a society who would not be allowed admission to its membership. Approach is a movement toward another; access is coming all the way to his presence, recognition, and consideration. An unworthy favorite may prevent even those who gain admittance to a king's audience from obtaining any real access to the king. Entrance is also used figuratively for setting out upon some career, or becoming a member of some organization; as, we speak of one's entrance upon college life, or of entrance into the ministry.
Prepositions
Entrance into a place; on or upon a work or course of action; into or upon office; into battle; by or through the door; within the gates; into or among the company.