entertainer
Americannoun
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entertainers
plural
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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:
The baseball entertainer had come under fire for a since-deleted comment left under a video posted to TikTok last week by Banana Ball team Loco Beach Coconuts .
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In 1951, columnist Walter Winchell engaged in a public feud with world-famous entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker, who was refused service at the legendary Stork Club in New York City.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The veteran entertainer Christopher Biggins said Cricket was "unbelievably fantastic, I don't think I met a nicer man ever".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Nik Ewing had an entertainer playing Ghost-Spider at his daughter Linnéa’s fourth birthday party and waited in a long line so she could meet Spider-Man at Disneyland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Besides, I thought, she thinks you're an entertainer.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Buffett sometimes has personal connections to the entertainers, which helps explain at least some of the passion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The conscription of South Korea's entertainers has long been a topic of national public debate.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Here’s a simple message to sports stars, entertainers and anyone else who hits the big time at an early age and doesn’t know what to do with all that money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 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
This last instrument was a common sight in Tudor barber-surgeons’ shops, hanging on the wall for customers or resident entertainers to while away the time.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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