entertainer
Americannoun
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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:
“Best and Last’s” flashbacks are a walloping reminder that Knoxville is inimitable: a telegenic and extroverted entertainer with a charisma he wields like a skunk aims its stink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
"For me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer."
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
He was much more to our family than an entertainer he was our friend and we are deeply saddened.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
The entertainer was one of the most familiar faces on British TV for several decades before he died of prostate cancer in 2003 at the age of 75.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
She possessed “a winning grace,” “reserve” and “self-control” appropriate for “a soul far above her present calling …” She’d acquired the skills of an entertainer.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
His commitment to exciting attacking football remained, signing entertainers such as Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
He was one of the first entertainers to recognize that there was more money to be made in owning your content, rather than just performing it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
“These entertainers have historically been more than just hosts, but in many ways served as the face of their networks,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
There were a lot of entertainers and musicians who came through there and many times I heard them remark to the boss, “Rocky, you’re taking a chance having this underage white girl working here.”
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
