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Glite Dictionary
to enter the lists

to enter the lists

9.3
To join a competition that already has other people competing to try to win
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : entrar en la competencia
  • When the tournament was announced, several teams decided to enter the lists to showcase their talent.

Examples

  • Many young athletes hope to enter the lists at the national championship to prove their skills.

  • In addition, those who entered the lists treated these historical texts in a most ahistorical fashion.

    Academic text (2002)

  • After months of training, she was ready to enter the lists and compete against the best in her field.

Synonyms

to enter
vsto enter the lists
535 1.1

To register to take part in a competition or event

is specifically about choosing to compete when rivals are already taking part
to throw one's hat in the ring
vsto enter the lists
  • Informal
5 7.4

To say you will run for a position, for example in an election

is the act of deciding to take part rather than only announcing intent
to enter the competition
vsto enter the lists
3 2.8

To sign up to take part in a contest

is the decision to join a contest often with rivals already involved
to put one's name in the hat
vsto enter the lists
  • Informal
1 6.5

To say you want to be chosen for a job or position

is the personal choice to compete especially with rivals already present

Antonyms

to drop out
214 3.0

To leave a course, competition or group before finishing

How Committed

to stand for
  • UK
9 4.1
to enter the lists
  • Archaic
9.3
interested
485 2.0

Surface Forms

enter the lists infinitive
entered the lists past
entered the lists past participle
entering the lists present participle
enters the lists third person singular

Morphology

enter + the + lists

The verb 'enter' (to register or join) gives a clear cue, but the noun 'lists' has an archaic specialist sense here (the enclosed arena for combat/competition) that most B1 learners who only know 'list' as a series of items will not know. Because a learner might still infer a related meaning (e.g. registering to take part) but would miss the historical/specific sense without exposure, the expression is partially but not fully predictable.

Etymology

Enter the lists comes from old knight tournaments. The lists were ropes or wooden barriers around the fighting area, so to enter them meant to join the contest, and that's why it now means 'to decide to take part'.