amusement
Americannoun
-
amusements
plural
-
anything that amuses or entertains; pastime.
The park offers authentic Danish charm and an array of amusements and thrill rides.
- Synonyms:
- game
-
the act of amusing or entertaining; diversion.
He invented indoor golf games for his own amusement, and for the amusement of his children.
-
the state of being amused; enjoyment.
Mom couldn't hide her amusement when my little sister tried to make dinner.
- Synonyms:
- delight
noun
-
something that amuses, such as a game or other pastime
-
a mechanical device used for entertainment, as at a fair
-
the act of amusing or the state or quality of being amused
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of amusement
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French; see origin at amuse, -ment
Explanation
Amusement is a feeling of being entertained and happy. Just think about how you feel when you visit an amusement park, and you will get the idea. When something amuses you, it makes you laugh, holds your attention, entertains you, or all three. An amusement is an activity that produces that type of feeling. Watching a basketball game and flying a kite are amusements. Also, doing something fun fills you with the emotion of amusement. To amuse is to entertain, and when you add the suffix -ment to the end of the verb, you get the noun or the feeling you gain from being amused.
Vocabulary lists containing amusement
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Enjoy! Synonyms for "Pleasure"
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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.
See Examples For:
Readers who might be unaware of this facility should imagine an amusement park minus the fun and whimsy.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Jacksonville Beach, Fla., police issued a similar caution in April about the shuttered Adventure Landing amusement park: “We are aware of a Tik-Tok challenge to explore the property.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Fighters will put their bodies and health on the line in the punishing D.C. heat with no medical insurance and little compensation for the amusement of the wealthy few.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Areas of the services sector that were particularly hard hit included arts and entertainment, sports activities and amusement and recreation activities.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
“That’s easy enough, and I like the idea, I’m aching for something to do, that is, some new amusement, you know,” added Jo quickly.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
One diarist, Samuel Bamford, gave up a warehouse job to become a weaver and wrote that the change gave him leisure time to enjoy “country amusements with the other young fellows.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Much like its kiddie counterpart, Chuck’s Arcade offers a blend of retro and modern amusements — classics like Donkey Kong and Mortal Kombat sit alongside newer fare like Halo and Connect Four Hoops.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025
"It's a very, very busy place with amusements, Water World, go-kart track, all the apartments and things on both sides of the road there," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025
In its 2022 annual report, the company said that 65 percent of its revenue came from games and amusements.
From Slate ● May 1, 2024
The games and amusements that had passed the time for them on board Endurance were forgotten; no one had the heart for charades or poetry recitals or comic songs.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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.
