- 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.
I’m a firm believer that entertaining at home should not attempt to recreate a restaurant experience beat for beat.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
It drives a lot of people nuts, but I don’t mind it, it’s quite entertaining, especially when the “injured” player realizes nobody cares and pops right up again, Lazarus-style, and rejoins the action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“We’re entertaining an audience approaching a billion people with still lots of room to grow into our addressable market on every measure,” said Spencer Neumann, Netflix’s chief financial officer, in the earnings presentation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
For them, England's exit would simply be the most entertaining outcome.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
This new development was also fascinating, but less entertaining.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
