entertain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse.
- Antonyms:
- bore
-
to have as a guest; provide food, lodging, etc., for; show hospitality to.
-
to admit into the mind; consider.
He never entertained such ideas.
- Antonyms:
- reject
-
to hold in the mind; harbor; cherish.
They secretly entertained thoughts of revenge.
-
Archaic. to maintain or keep up.
-
Obsolete. to give admittance or reception to; receive.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to provide amusement for (a person or audience)
-
to show hospitality to (guests)
-
(tr) to hold in the mind
to entertain an idea
Related Words
See amuse.
Other Word Forms
- overentertained adjective
- preentertain verb (used with object)
- unentertained adjective
- well-entertained adjective
Etymology
Origin of entertain
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English entertenen “to hold mutually,” from Middle French entretenir, ultimately from Vulgar Latin intertenēre (unrecorded), from Latin inter- inter- + tenēre “to hold”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She said that while on maternity leave, money was tight and she was finding it hard to keep her toddler entertained without spending too much money.
From BBC
England fans could not have hoped for a more entertaining evening at Wembley Stadium - but with Sarina Wiegman resisting the urge to be more experimental, how much did she actually learn from it?
From BBC
He had a parallel career as a Hollywood script doctor, much in demand to add sparkle to others' film scripts, and shared a best-screenplay Oscar for his entertaining contribution to Shakespeare in Love.
From BBC
I thought of Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Or, though it’s never entertained by the film, he might have thought—and still continues to think—that he actually took the picture.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
