First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
amuse
verb \ə-ˈmyüz\
: to make someone laugh or smile : to entertain (someone) in a light and pleasant way
: to get the attention of (someone) in a pleasant way as time passes
amusedamus·ing
Full Definition of AMUSE
transitive verb
1
2
a : to entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner <amuse the child with a story> b : to appeal to the sense of humor of <the joke doesn't amuse me>
intransitive verb
See amuse defined for English-language learners
See amuse defined for kids
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Origin of AMUSE
Middle French amuser, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + muser to muse
Synonym Discussion of 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>.
Rhymes with AMUSE
abuse, accuse, Andrews, bad news, bemuse, berceuse, chanteuse, charmeuse, chartreuse, coiffeuse, confuse, contuse, danseuse, defuse, diffuse, diseuse, disuse, effuse, enthuse, excuse, ill-use, incuse, infuse, masseuse, misuse, perfuse, peruse, recluse, recuse, refuse, reuse, short fuse, suffuse, Toulouse, transfuse, vendeuse
AMUSED Defined for Kids
amuse
verb \ə-ˈmyüz\
amusedamus·ing
Definition of AMUSE for Kids
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.>
Synonym Discussion of 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.>
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