amuse

verb

ə-ˈmyüz

amused; amusing

transitive verb

: to entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner

She tried to amuse the child with a story.

: to appeal to the sense of humor of

His jokes don't amuse me.

archaic : to divert the attention of so as to deceive

obsolete : to occupy the attention of : absorb

obsolete : distract, bewilder

intransitive verb

obsolete : muse

amuser noun

Did you know?

Are amused and bemused synonyms?

Many people link bemused with amused, believing that the former word carries the meaning “amused, with a touch of something else.” While this was not its original sense, bemused has been used in such a fashion for long enough, and by enough people, that the meaning “having feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing" has become established. You may use bemuse in this fashion if you wish, but bear in mind that some people find it objectionable, insisting that bemused and amused are entirely distinct and that bemused properly means “marked by confusion or bewilderment.” It is worth noting that before bemused indicated confusion it had the meaning (especially among poets) “devoted to the Muses.”

Example Sentences

It amuses me to think of how he looked when I last saw him. a funny story that never fails to amuse He amused himself with a game of solitaire.

Recent Examples on the Web Floating above the crowd, his face green-screened in, Depp looked like just another star at an awards show, goofing off to amuse the masses.

Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2022 The Frank corpus, for its part, coheres in one hapless creature’s attempts to amuse himself in between horrifying encounters with monsters that are both unknowable and the building blocks of the world around him.

Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022 Complete with quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, and mazes, this activity book will amuse her throughout the long nine months.

Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 4 Aug. 2022 And now this city that exists to amuse is hosting full houses once again.

Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2022 Preteens can amuse themselves in the upstairs games room, while teenagers can play pool or watch movies in the media room on the lower level.

Kathy Orton, Washington Post, 17 June 2022 Indulging in the Y2Ks Archive does more than amuse.

Cassidy George, Vogue, 2 June 2022 His success on Twitter arose from his capacity to outrage or amuse a global audience of both enemies and acolytes (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Jong Un, as well as your Trumpist cousin across town).

Steve Coll, The New Yorker, 5 June 2022 There were no cellphones to amuse us back then, and the darkness prevented us from flirting with cute boys in other cars.

Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 21 May 2022 See More

Kids Definition

amuse

verb

ə-ˈmyüz

amused; amusing

: to entertain with something pleasant

She amused herself with a book.

: to please the sense of humor of

We found his silly jokes amusing.

单词	amuses
释义	amuse verb ə-ˈmyüz amused; amusing transitive verb 1 a : to entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner She tried to amuse the child with a story. b : to appeal to the sense of humor of His jokes don't amuse me. 2 a archaic : to divert the attention of so as to deceive b obsolete : to occupy the attention of : absorb c obsolete : distract, bewilder intransitive verb obsolete : muse amuser noun Did you know? Are amused and bemused synonyms? Many people link bemused with amused, believing that the former word carries the meaning “amused, with a touch of something else.” While this was not its original sense, bemused has been used in such a fashion for long enough, and by enough people, that the meaning “having feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing" has become established. You may use bemuse in this fashion if you wish, but bear in mind that some people find it objectionable, insisting that bemused and amused are entirely distinct and that bemused properly means “marked by confusion or bewilderment.” It is worth noting that before bemused indicated confusion it had the meaning (especially among poets) “devoted to the Muses.” Synonyms disport divert entertain regale solace See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences It amuses me to think of how he looked when I last saw him. a funny story that never fails to amuse He amused himself with a game of solitaire. Recent Examples on the Web Floating above the crowd, his face green-screened in, Depp looked like just another star at an awards show, goofing off to amuse the masses. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2022 The Frank corpus, for its part, coheres in one hapless creature’s attempts to amuse himself in between horrifying encounters with monsters that are both unknowable and the building blocks of the world around him. Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022 Complete with quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, and mazes, this activity book will amuse her throughout the long nine months. Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 4 Aug. 2022 And now this city that exists to amuse is hosting full houses once again. Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2022 Preteens can amuse themselves in the upstairs games room, while teenagers can play pool or watch movies in the media room on the lower level. Kathy Orton, Washington Post, 17 June 2022 Indulging in the Y2Ks Archive does more than amuse. Cassidy George, Vogue, 2 June 2022 His success on Twitter arose from his capacity to outrage or amuse a global audience of both enemies and acolytes (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Jong Un, as well as your Trumpist cousin across town). Steve Coll, The New Yorker, 5 June 2022 There were no cellphones to amuse us back then, and the darkness prevented us from flirting with cute boys in other cars. Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 21 May 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle French amuser, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + muser to muse First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a Phrases Containing amuse amuse-bouche amuse-bouche Kids Definition amuse verb ə-ˈmyüz amused; amusing 1 : to entertain with something pleasant She amused herself with a book. 2 : to please the sense of humor of We found his silly jokes amusing. Choose the Right Synonym for amuse amuse and entertain mean to cause the time to pass in an agreeable way. amuse is used for holding someone's interest with something that is pleasant or humorous. The toy amused the child for hours. entertain is used when something special is done to provide a person with amusement. Celebrities put on a show to entertain the troops. amuses verb present tense third-person singular of amuse as in entertains to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance entertains regales distracts delights pleases appeases solaces diverts occupies interests fascinates captivates intrigues engrosses enchants busies mesmerizes disports enthralls engages bewitches beguiles hypnotizes involves enthrals charms immerses comforts soothes gratifies consoles humors placates indulges pleasures pampers coddles pacifies spoils absorbs contents mollycoddles mollifies obliges propitiates conciliates grips Antonyms & Near Antonyms bores wears annoys exhausts wearies drains enervates aggravates irks exasperates bothers disturbs wears out upsets fatigues vexes tires perturbs harasses piques jades pesters chafes grates bugs galls frets nettles harries peeves See More
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amuse

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing amuse

Kids Definition

verb

Choose the Right Synonym for amuse

verb