entertainment

American  

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

noun

• entertainments
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonentertainment
  noun
• preentertainment
  noun
• self-entertainment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• entertainments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of entertainment

First recorded in 1525–35; entertain + -ment

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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

See Examples For:

entertainment entertainments

Kobliner: If someone does it for entertainment, it’s a decision you could make.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Acquisition targets all have a clear understanding of cultural marketing or the entertainment industry, the better to help Common Interest capitalize on brands’ interest in those arenas, Freedman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The company also recently replaced chief content officer Bela Bajaria, who oversaw popular shows including "Stranger Things," "Bridgerton," and "Squid Game," in addition to pushing the company's live entertainment strategy, according to CNBC.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

“We were really looking for a band that’s completely iconic in the space they represent,” said Drew Dixon, vice president of entertainment for Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

The boys dove into the rowdy throng of the entertainment district.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

Superhero-based entertainments, as we’ve come to know them, are comedies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Today, dragons and dungeon crawls are common entertainments.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

"Christmas football was originally rooted in a wider tradition of communal entertainments," Professor Martin Johnes of Swansea University told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

Here’s a look at three indie-rooted filmmakers who scaled up their storytelling talents this year on behalf of spectacle-level entertainments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2024

Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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