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.”

Choose the Right Synonym for amuse

amuse, divert, entertain mean to pass or cause to pass the time pleasantly.

amuse suggests that one's attention is engaged lightly.

amuse yourselves while I make dinner

divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.

a light comedy to divert the tired businessman

entertain suggests supplying amusement by specially contrived methods.

a magician entertaining children at a party

Examples of amuse in a Sentence

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 Zany fairy-tale-tastic antics ensue — with multilevel jokes that manage to amuse both young and old. Ew Staff, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Wasteful extravagances such as a party photographer hired to take pictures of people’s auras and $200 shots of whiskey could amuse people outside of Los Angeles, but the film’s cultural hyper-specificity can feel insular. Stephen Saito, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 The closest thing the story has to villains (other than Willy Wonka himself) are the misbehaved children who fall victim to Wonka’s contraptions, and Dahl clearly expects the reader to be greatly amused by their suffering. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 On this morning, the 42-year-old designer appears at ease and somewhat amused by the immediate response to his fall collection. Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024 The rock band, Fall Out Boy, was among those amused by Butler’s media day antics, inviting the Heat star to show off the look in one of its music videos. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Hathaway played Andy, an up-and-coming journalist who reluctantly took a job as Priestly's assistant despite possessing zero fashion sense, which amuses, horrifies, and ultimately disrupts (for better or worse) the majority of Priestly's staff (Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Gisele Bündchen). Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 In his opening monologue, Noah managed to offend no one and still amuse his guests. Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024 While some commercials that run in CBS’ Feb. 11 broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII may shock or surprise, most will aim to comfort or amuse, as marketers pull back on pushing the envelope. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of amuse was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near amuse

Cite this Entry

“Amuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amuse. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amuse

verb
amused; amusing
1
: to occupy with something pleasant
amuse a child with a toy
2
: to please the sense of humor of
the story amused everyone
amusedly adverb
amusingly
-ˈmyü-ziŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on amuse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!