amuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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amuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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amused,
past participle, past
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amusing
present participle
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to hold the attention of (someone) pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner.
She amused the guests with witty conversation.
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to cause mirth, laughter, or the like, in.
The comedian amused the audience with a steady stream of jokes.
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to cause (time, leisure, etc.) to pass agreeably.
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Archaic. to keep in expectation by flattery, pretenses, etc.
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Obsolete.
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to engross; absorb.
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to puzzle; distract.
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verb
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to keep pleasantly occupied; entertain; divert
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to cause to laugh or smile
Commonly Confused
See bemuse.
Synonym Usage
Amuse, divert, entertain mean to occupy the attention with something pleasant. That which amuses is usually playful or humorous and pleases the fancy. Divert implies turning the attention from serious thoughts or pursuits to something light, amusing, or lively. That which entertains usually does so because of a plan or program that engages and holds the attention by being pleasing and sometimes instructive.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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amusesimple
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amusessimple
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have amusedperfect
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has amusedperfect
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am amusingprogressive
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are amusingprogressive
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is amusingprogressive
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have been amusingperfect progressive
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has been amusingperfect progressive
Past
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amusedsimple
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had amusedperfect
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was amusingprogressive
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were amusingprogressive
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had been amusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of amuse
First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French amuser “to divert”; equivalent to a- 5 + muse
Explanation
If you enjoy making people laugh, you like to amuse them, which is a good trait to have as long as you don't amuse people during a math test or other solemn occasion. The verb amuse also means to keep busy in a pleasant way. You might amuse yourself during a long driving trip by playing the alphabet game, where you try to find all the letters from A to Z on roadside signs. If you are a passenger on a plane, you could amuse yourself with a movie on your computer. Just don't get them mixed up and try to watch a movie when you are driving.
Vocabulary lists containing amuse
Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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List 5
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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:
“If Ford wants to amuse himself, all right,” rival auto maker Joseph J. Cole said on the Five-Dollar Day.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The temptation to amuse the audience led him to betray his duty to appraise the work of aspiring artists who tremblingly dared present themselves before His Nasty Majesty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
A steal at $28 for three courses, diners saddle up to the counter, reminiscent of a chef’s table, for a French and Japanese-inspired amuse bouche with a main dessert, followed by petit fours.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025
Yet, whenever Key’s lonely widower drops his desperation to amuse, there’s years of pain on his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2025
“By damn, man, if there is one human being in the world less devious than Robert Lee, I aint yet met him. By God and fire, Colonel, but you amuse me.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
“What amuses me most about Skip is he often represents everyone in the deal,” Ford, who was a client before he rose to fame with “Star Wars,” told The Times in 2005.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
I am actually part of a two-cranberry sauce family, which amuses me since I lack real passion for any of it, but I assure you this chutney does not act as a substitute for either.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2024
“That amuses us to no end, because it’s like, all we ever do is work together.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
Remarkably, her pugnacious attitude amuses the princess, who grows to rely on the young “bush girl” for her refreshing candor.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2022
Everyone else asleep, and he amuses himself playing with his spinner.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Judge Julie Mata, who was presiding over the paternity case, wasn’t as amused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"We can't even fill the coffee cups to the brim or they spill," his son Linus, 19, added with an air of amused exasperation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Barantini was more amused by the reaction and says he doesn't think "small things like that matter".
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
We were not at all amused to hear that scoundrels were attempting to make a profit off the pauper’s food line tickets.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
As amusing as it is, “Marble Hall Murders” doesn’t improve on its predecessors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Experiencing Coward outdoors on a summer night is both an amusing delight and an expositional slog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
If someone’s doing a pretty good impression of you, I think that’s kind of amusing, but he didn’t know who I was.
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
That doesn't mean that comedy should suffer, with Seale saying that every time a scene could deliver a "killer gag", instead it was just "gently amusing".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
So I confine myself to telling him a few amusing things.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
