entertainer
Americannoun
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entertainers
plural
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a singer, comedian, dancer, reciter, or the like, especially a professional one.
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a person who entertains; host.
She was one of the capital's great entertainers.
noun
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a professional singer, comedian, or other performer who takes part in public entertainments
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any person who entertains
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of entertainer
Explanation
An entertainer is a person whose job or goal is to perform for the amusement of others. If you're an entertainer, you might learn how to tap dance and take singing lessons. If you make your living as a comedian, you're an entertainer. You're also an entertainer if you're a dancer, singer, actor, or puppeteer. In all of these cases, your job is to entertain an audience. You can also call the member of your family who's always trying to make everyone laugh an entertainer. The word comes from the verb entertain, which originally meant "to keep up or maintain," and came to also mean "amuse" in the early 17th century.
Vocabulary lists containing entertainer
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:
At first, Pearce didn’t see himself as a kids’ entertainer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
A standout for decades in a breathtaking array of roles, comedy lead actor nominee Martin Short is the kind of all-around entertainer they don’t make anymore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Allen, the late Australian entertainer portrayed by Hugh Jackman in Broadway’s Tony-winning “The Boy From Oz,” had played the tune for Manilow in the early ’80s.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Children's entertainer Paul Chuckle has said he is "delighted" to be taking part in an upcoming National Theatre tour.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
On the court she’s a true entertainer, and the crowd always goes wild for her silly antics.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Here’s a simple message to sports stars, entertainers and anyone else who hits the big time at an early age and doesn’t know what to do with all that money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Dolly Parton, the country music superstar from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“There were certain acts that just filled the house and certain ones that didn’t,” says the park’s president, Tyler Carter, adding that early performances swung drastically from hip-hop to Christian rock entertainers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Big personalities like Rousey and Conor McGregor helped him do it: both great fighters in their own right, both polarizing entertainers capable of generating big headlines.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Meggie wouldn’t have been surprised to find a whole troupe of fairground entertainers waiting for her on the lawn behind Elinor’s house, but only Dustfinger stood there.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
