- 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.
It will stop becoming entertaining when every survivor has to wear SPF sunscreen rated at least 1,000 just to take out the trash.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
He’s up to 25 players and hoping the Gerhardt brothers will continue to be entertaining in games and in huddles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The ballroom building would consist of the large entertaining space above ground and also a security complex below ground.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Watching Mr. Statham fight is slightly entertaining, but there has to be more than that to constitute a movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
This is how the thousand nights begin, with Scheherazade entertaining the king with a story.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
