amuse

[uh-myooz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amuse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), a·mused, a·mus·ing.

to hold the attention of (someone) pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner: She amused the guests with witty conversation.

to cause mirth, laughter, or the like, in: The comedian amused the audience with a steady stream of jokes.

to cause (time, leisure, etc.) to pass agreeably.

Archaic. to keep in expectation by flattery, pretenses, etc.

Obsolete.

to engross; absorb.
to puzzle; distract.

Origin of amuse

1470–80; < Middle French amuser “to divert, amuse”; see a-⁵, muse

Related formsa·mus·a·ble, adjectivea·mus·er, nounun·a·mus·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·mus·a·bly, adverb

Synonyms for amuse

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amuse ON THESAURUS.COM

1. please, charm, cheer.

Synonym study

Amuse, divert, entertain mean to occupy the attention with something pleasant. That which amuses is usually playful or humorous and pleases the fancy. Divert implies turning the attention from serious thoughts or pursuits to something light, amusing, or lively. That which entertains usually does so because of a plan or program that engages and holds the attention by being pleasing and sometimes instructive.

Usage note

See bemuse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for amuse

tickle, gratify, wow, please, delight, cheer, charm, regale, fracture, slay, occupy, kill, interest, gladden, divert, panic, grab

Examples from the Web for amuse

Contemporary Examples of amuse

The purpose of art,” Bemelmans once said, “is to console and amuse—myself, and, I hope, others.
Madeline’s New York Moment: Ludwig Bemelmans’ Heroine Comes Home
Erin Cunningham
July 8, 2014
A purse can impress and intimidate, bewilder, berate, or amuse.
The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags
Robin Givhan
April 8, 2013
The Embassy produced a short video in advance of the trip, which, in the spirit of our times, is meant to both inform and amuse.
Obama And Netanyahu As Bobbleheads
Emily L. Hauser
March 20, 2013
His masters would then amuse themselves by pelting him with bones.
Persian Fire and Rubicon (Full)
David Frum
September 23, 2012
Pandering—thy name is Newt In Florida, will it bear fruit So obvious it does amuse: "Mitt cut Kosher meals for Jews!"
The Song of Newt Gingrich: From Longshot To Hotshot To No Shot
April 26, 2012

Historical Examples of amuse

Novels are taken up to amuse the vacant hour—in this consists their use.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
This Mr. Fleurant and Mr. Purgon amuse themselves finely with your body.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
This was not a great sorrow for Rico,—he knew how to amuse himself.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
We amuse him more than the hackneyed comrades he has worn out.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
I must now amuse and put her off—at all events for the present.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for amuse

amuse

verb (tr)

to keep pleasantly occupied; entertain; divert

to cause to laugh or smile

Word Origin for amuse

C15: from Old French amuser to cause to be idle, from muser to muse 1

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

Word Origin and History for amuse

late 15c., "to divert the attention, beguile, delude," from Middle French amuser "divert, cause to muse," from a "at, to" (but here probably a causal prefix) + muser "ponder, stare fixedly" (see muse (v.)). Sense of "divert from serious business, tickle the fancy of" is recorded from 1630s, but through 18c. the primary meaning was "deceive, cheat" by first occupying the attention. Bemuse retains more of the original meaning. Related: Amused; amusing.