amuse

[ uh-myooz ]

/ əˈmyuz /

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See synonyms for: amuse / amused / amusing 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR amuse

1 please, charm, cheer.

See synonyms for amuse on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of amuse

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

synonym study for amuse

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.

words often confused with amuse

See bemuse.

OTHER WORDS FROM amuse

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

Words nearby amuse

Amur cork tree, Amur privet, A.Mus., amusable, A.Mus.D., amuse, amuse-bouche, amused, amuse-gueule, amusement, amusement arcade

How to use amuse in a sentence

She amused herself by turning all references to “cloud” on her browser to “butt.”
What We Learned This Week Is That Sara Libby Got a New Gig|Scott Lewis|August 18, 2021|Voice of San Diego
In Season 2, a self-aware cameo from a certain referee may go over the heads of casual viewers but amuse English football fanatics.
‘Ted Lasso,’ built on charm and empathy, won over America. It won over the soccer world, too.|Thomas Floyd|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
Instead, Helbert was amused to see a rumpled plastic Walgreens bag left outside for contactless pickup.
These scientists spent decades pushing NASA to go back to Venus. Now they’re on a hot streak.|Corinne Iozzio|June 29, 2021|Popular-Science
It alternately amused and annoyed Adams, who repeatedly pointed out that he was following the debate rules, and who unloaded on Yang for leaving the city during the worst of the pandemic.
The Trailer: Socialists, Proud Boys, and anti-maskers: The political establishment struggles to keep up in Nevada|David Weigel|June 3, 2021|Washington Post

Miss Manners is amused that a paper invitation is being sent with a computer link on it.
Miss Manners: Grandson graduates but gets no gifts|Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
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|DAILY BEAST
A purse can impress and intimidate, bewilder, berate, or amuse.
The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags|Robin Givhan|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
His masters would then amuse themselves by pelting him with bones.
Persian Fire and Rubicon (Full)|David Frum|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Beauty can't amuse you, but brainwork—reading, writing, thinking—can.
13 Classic Helen Gurley Brown Quotes|Jesse Ellison|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It did not amuse me, nor, so far as I could discern, was Monsieur de Tressan greatly taken with it.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
You think that if a man's charming, that's the end of him, and that all he's good for is to amuse a few old ladies at a tea party.
First Plays|A. A. Milne
When he was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by saying, 'It's the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.'
Honey-Bee|Anatole France
It is a big world she sees, big enough and beautiful enough to amuse a little girl for some while.
Child Life In Town And Country|Anatole France
You, who love to amuse yourself in all depths, will you not make an excursion into the depths of Edgar Poe?
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier

British Dictionary definitions for amuse

amuse

/ (əˈmjuːz) /

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

amuse

OTHER WORDS FOR amuse

Origin of amuse

synonym study for amuse

words often confused with amuse

OTHER WORDS FROM amuse

Words nearby amuse

Words related to amuse

How to use amuse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amuse

Word Origin for amuse