amusement
Americannoun
-
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.
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
Over the past two years the teen unemployment rate has risen, from about 11% to more than 14%, as seasonal hiring at restaurants and amusement parks pulled back and automation crept into the entry rung.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
After eating a lot of fast food, some of it on roller coasters, YouTuber Allen Ferrell has been banned by Six Flags from all of its amusement parks nationwide.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
As the votes were counted on Tuesday night and viewers enjoyed an acrobatic tribute to Vienna's Wurstelprater - one of the world's oldest amusement parks.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
It took Koffi a moment to recognize that what she was seeing slowly spread across the man’s face wasn’t anger now, but amusement.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
