An entry is a record of information placed into a system, whether that system is an accounting ledger, a database, a customs filing, or a sweepstakes drawing. The word shows up across finance, business, technology, trade, and investing, and in each context it carries a specific meaning. Here are the most common uses and what they involve in practice.
Entries in Accounting
In bookkeeping, an entry (often called a journal entry) is a record of a single financial transaction. Each entry includes the transaction date, the accounts affected, and the dollar amounts involved. These entries track everything a business does with money: sales, expenses, cash movements, inventory changes, and debt.
Most businesses use double-entry bookkeeping, which means every transaction touches two accounts. One account receives a debit, and the other receives a credit. For example, if a business buys $1,000 of inventory with cash, the bookkeeper debits the inventory account (increasing it) and credits the cash account (decreasing it). The two sides always balance. Debits and credits don’t automatically mean “increase” and “decrease,” though. Which direction they move depends on the type of account.
There are several specific types of journal entries:
- Opening entry: Carries forward the closing balance from the previous accounting period to start the new one.
- Adjusting entry: Corrects errors or accounts for transactions that weren’t previously recorded, typically done at the end of an accounting period.
- Closing entry: The final balance recorded in the journal at the end of a period, which then becomes the opening entry for the next period.
- Reversing entry: Made at the start of a new accounting period to undo certain adjusting entries from the prior period.
- Compound entry: Records multiple transactions in a single entry, with several debits and credits listed together.
Entries in Data Management
Data entry refers to the process of inputting information into digital systems like spreadsheets, databases, or specialized software. In a professional setting, a data entry clerk takes written or printed information and types it into tools like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or a database management system.
The work goes beyond just typing. Data entry professionals also review existing records for errors and missing information, sort data into categories, compare digital records against source documents to verify accuracy, and create reports from the organized data. They’re also responsible for protecting sensitive information through proper security measures.
Accuracy standards are high. Most employers expect a typing speed of 50 to 70 words per minute with minimal errors, plus the ability to catch inconsistencies, duplicates, and formatting problems during the entry process.
Entries in Customs and International Trade
When goods cross into a country, the importer files a customs entry, which is the formal declaration that tells the government what’s being imported, its value, and what duties or tariffs apply. In the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection processes these filings through an electronic system called ACE (Automated Commercial Environment).
There are dozens of entry types depending on the situation. A standard import for domestic sale is called a “consumption” entry. Goods stored in a bonded facility before release use a “warehouse” entry. Items brought in temporarily, like equipment for a trade show, may use a Temporary Importation Bond entry. Other categories cover goods subject to antidumping duties, items entering foreign trade zones, and duty drawback claims where importers seek refunds on previously paid duties. Most of these are filed electronically, though a handful of specialized types (vessel repairs, trade fair entries, permanent exhibitions) still require paper filing at the local port.
Entry Points in Investing
In trading and investing, an entry (or entry point) is the price or moment at which you buy an asset. Choosing when to enter a position is one of the core decisions in any investment strategy.
In a trending market, where prices are generally moving in one direction, traders often look for entry points after a brief pullback or a short period of sideways movement (called consolidation). Tools like trendlines, moving averages, and oscillators help identify these moments. For instance, a trader might wait for a stock’s price to dip back to its 60-day moving average while an indicator like the stochastic oscillator shows the stock is oversold (trading below a value of 20), suggesting the pullback is likely ending.
In a range-bound market, where prices bounce between a ceiling and a floor, traders typically enter near the bottom of that range (the support level) and sell near the top (the resistance level). Some investors use rule-based strategies that remove emotion from the decision entirely. One example: only buying when a stock crosses above its 200-day moving average and a momentum indicator called MACD crosses above zero at the same time.
Entries in Sweepstakes and Contests
A sweepstakes entry is your submission for a chance to win a prize. By law, you never have to buy anything or pay a fee to enter a legitimate sweepstakes. Your chances of winning are the same whether or not you make a purchase. If a promotion requires payment to participate, it’s not a legal sweepstakes.
You can typically enter as often as you receive entry forms, and many companies also accept write-in entries on a postcard. Winners are selected either through a random drawing (done manually by trained judges or by computer) or through a preselected number method, where a winning number is chosen by an independent third party before any mailings go out and matched to entries after the promotion ends.
Legitimate sweepstakes are required to clearly disclose several things in their rules: that no purchase is necessary, the entry procedures and eligibility requirements, the termination date for entries, the number and value of all prizes, estimated odds of winning, the method for selecting winners, and a contact address for the sponsor. If a sweepstakes mailing doesn’t include this information, that’s a red flag.