- present participle of entertain.
entertaining
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of entertaining
Explanation
Things that are entertaining are enjoyable and distracting. Going to the circus is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. Activities like playing games and watching movies can be entertaining, and you can also describe a friend who's particularly funny or fun to be with as entertaining. The adjective comes from the related verb, entertain, which meant "keep up, maintain, or keep someone in a certain frame of mind" in the fifteenth century. It comes from the Old French entretenir, "hold together."
Vocabulary lists containing entertaining
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.
The home offers several of entertaining spaces, including a game room with a pool table and a movie theater room.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
He won't win it, unfortunately, because Lamine Yamal, for the player he is and how entertaining and spectacular he is, didn't really shine at the World Cup, even if Spain won it.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Noah Reid and Carrie-Anne Moss star in an ambiguous but entertaining eight-part series that draws on the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Journalist Mariana van Zeller found a way to expose romance scammers, who took more than $1 billion from vulnerable and gullible Americans last year, in an entertaining show from National Geographic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Ah, excellent. Anatsou finds the humans so entertaining, even if he also finds them simple.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
