entertainment

American  

[en-ter-teyn-muhnt] / ˌɛn tərˈteɪn mənt /

noun

1. the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement.

   Solving the daily crossword puzzle is an entertainment for many.

2. something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement, especially a performance of some kind.

   The highlight of the ball was an elaborate entertainment.

3. hospitable provision for the needs and wants of guests.

4. a divertingly adventurous, comic, or picaresque novel.

5. Obsolete. maintenance in service.

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entertainment British  

/ ˌɛntəˈteɪnmənt /

noun

1. the act or art of entertaining or state of being entertained

2. an act, production, etc, that entertains; diversion; amusement

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Other Word Forms

• nonentertainment
  noun
• preentertainment
  noun
• self-entertainment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of entertainment

First recorded in 1525–35; entertain + -ment

Explanation

Entertainment is amusement, usually involving a performance. The clown at a birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert, your friends fighting over the last potato chip––these are all forms of entertainment. Entertainment is from the Old French word entretenir meaning hold together or support. It was associated with hospitality––when you entertained a guest, you were keeping them happy. From there, it came to mean amuse or distract. The entertainment is the amusement or the distraction––we talk about theatrical entertainment as shows, visual entertainment as the stuff you like to look at, and audio entertainment as mostly music.

Example Sentences

Strictly Come Dancing 2020 winner Bailey was made an MBE for services to entertainment.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

The two countries have been at odds External link over issues unrelated to energy, including their opposing interventions in Yemen and increased competition for foreign investment dollars in entertainment, tourism, sports, and finance industries.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

The entertainment industry is in the midst of severe economic challenges and neither actors nor studios are itching for a fight.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

The tentative contract still needs to be voted on by its members — SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 actors, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, stunt performers, voice-over artists and other entertainment professionals.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

One night, for entertainment, the Frelimo soldiers set off flares and fired tracer bullets into the sky.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer