entertain
[ en-ter-teyn ]
/ ˌɛn tərˈteɪn /
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verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to exercise hospitality; entertain company; provide entertainment for guests: They loved to talk, dance, and entertain.
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Origin of entertain
1425–75; late Middle English entertenen to hold mutually <Middle French entretenir ≪ Vulgar Latin *intertenēre, equivalent to Latin inter-inter- + tenēre to hold
synonym study for entertain
1. See amuse.
OTHER WORDS FROM entertain
o·ver·en·ter·tained, adjectivepre·en·ter·tain, verb (used with object)un·en·ter·tained, adjectivewell-en·ter·tained, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for entertain
entertain
/ (ˌɛntəˈteɪn) /
verb
to provide amusement for (a person or audience)
to show hospitality to (guests)
(tr) to hold in the mindto entertain an idea
Word Origin for entertain
C15: from Old French entretenir, from entre- mutually + tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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