Amuse definition | Dictionary.com

a⋅muse

[uh-myooz]

–verb (used with object), a⋅mused, a⋅mus⋅ing.

1.	to hold the attention of (someone) pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner: She amused the guests with witty conversation.

2.	to cause mirth, laughter, or the like, in: The comedian amused the audience with a steady stream of jokes.

3.	to cause (time, leisure, etc.) to pass agreeably.

4.	Archaic. to keep in expectation by flattery, pretenses, etc.

Obsolete.

a.	to engross; absorb.

b.	to puzzle; distract.

Origin:
1470–80; < MF amuser to divert, amuse; see a- ⁵ , muse

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Amuse

Spanish:

divertir,

German:

amüsieren,

Japanese:

笑わせる

View 30 other languages »

a·muse (ə-myōōz') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es

To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion.
To cause to laugh or smile by giving pleasure: I was not amused by his jokes.
Archaic To delude or deceive.

[Middle English, from Old French amuser, to stupefy : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + muser, to stare stupidly; see muse.]

a·mus'a·ble adj., a·mus'er n.

Synonyms: These verbs refer to actions that provide pleasure, especially as a means of passing time. Amuse, the least specific, implies directing attention away from serious matters: I amused myself with a game of solitaire.
Entertain suggests acts undertaken to furnish amusement: "They [timetables and catalogs] are much more entertaining than half the novels that are written" (W. Somerset Maugham).
Divert implies distraction from worrisome thought or care: "I had neither Friends or Books to divert me" (Richard Steele).
To regale is to entertain with something enormously enjoyable: "He loved to regale his friends with tales about the many memorable characters he had known as a newspaperman" (David Rosenzweig).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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amuse

1480, from M.Fr. amuser "divert, cause to muse," from à "at, to" (but here probably a causal prefix) + muser "ponder, stare fixedly." Sense of "divert from serious business, tickle the fancy of" is recorded from 1631, but through 18c. the primary meaning was "deceive, cheat" by first occupying the attention. Bemuse retains more of the original meaning. Amusement "a pastime, play, game, etc." is first recorded 1673, originally depreciative. Amusement park is first recorded 1909. Amusing is noted late 1920s as a vogue word.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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amuse
verb
1.	occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion; "The play amused the ladies"
2.	make (somebody) laugh; "The clown amused the children"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Amuse

A*muse"\ ([.a]*m[=u]z"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amused ([.a]*m[=u]zd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Amusing.] [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, [`a] (L. ad) + OF. muser. See Muse, v.]

1. To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [Obs.]

Camillus set upon the Gauls when they were amused in receiving their gold. --Holland.

Being amused with grief, fear, and fright, he could not find the house. --Fuller.

2. To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing or mirthful emotions; to divert.

A group of children amusing themselves with pushing stones from the top [of the cliff], and watching as they plunged into the lake. --Gilpin.

3. To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.

He amused his followers with idle promises. --Johnson.

Syn: To entertain; gratify; please; divert; beguile; deceive; occupy.

Usage: To Amuse, Divert, Entertain. We are amused by that which occupies us lightly and pleasantly. We are entertained by that which brings our minds into agreeable contact with others, as conversation, or a book. We are diverted by that which turns off our thoughts to something of livelier interest, especially of a sportive nature, as a humorous story, or a laughable incident.

Whatever amuses serves to kill time, to lull the faculties, and to banish reflection. Whatever entertains usually awakens the understanding or gratifies the fancy. Whatever diverts is lively in its nature, and sometimes tumultuous in its effects. --Crabb.