enthuse

[ en-thooz ]
See synonyms for: enthuseenthused on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),en·thused, en·thus·ing.
  1. to be or become enthusiastic; show enthusiasm: All the neighbors enthused over the new baby.

verb (used with object),en·thused, en·thus·ing.
  1. to cause to become enthusiastic.

Origin of enthuse

1
1820–30, Americanism; back formation from enthusiasm

usage note For enthuse

The verb enthuse is a 19th-century back formation from the noun enthusiasm. Originally an Americanism, enthuse is now standard and well established in the speech and all but the most formal writing of educated persons, in both Britain and the United States. It is used as a transitive verb meaning “to cause to become enthusiastic” ( The liveliness of the dance enthused the audience ) and as an intransitive verb meaning “to show enthusiasm” ( She enthused warmly over his performance ). Despite its long history and frequent occurrence, however, enthuse is still strongly disapproved of by many.

Other words from enthuse

  • qua·si-en·thused, adjective
  • un·en·thused, adjective

Words Nearby enthuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use enthuse in a sentence

  • The events of that season were well calculated to enthuse the Confederate and to depress the Federal force.

    Stone's River | Wilson J. Vance
  • Books to help uplift the young, to give them high ideas of life, to enthuse them with desires to live for a purpose!

    Ester Ried Yet Speaking | Isabella Alden
  • The listener would enthuse in her turn, sometimes wholeheartedly, sometimes with an undercurrent of sadness or regret.

    Lady Cassandra | Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
  • Even the contemplation of that happy state failed to enthuse.

    The House of the Misty Star | Fannie Caldwell Macaulay
  • He didnt even enthuse when he took a sip of Moselle that matched the Malasol and had more bouquet than the flowers.

    Nothing But the Truth | Frederic S. Isham

British Dictionary definitions for enthuse

enthuse

/ (ɪnˈθjuːz) /


verb
  1. to feel or show or cause to feel or show enthusiasm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012