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amuse

 - 3 dictionary results

a⋅muse

  [uh-myooz]
Use amuse in a Sentence
–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.
5. Obsolete.
a. to engross; absorb.
b. to puzzle; distract.
Origin:
1470–80; < MF amuser to divert, amuse; see a- 5 , muse

Related forms:
a⋅mus⋅a⋅ble, adjective
a⋅mus⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. please, charm, cheer. Amuse, divert, entertain mean to occupy the attention with something pleasant. That which amuses is usually playful or humorous and pleases the fancy. Divert implies turning the attention from serious thoughts or pursuits to something light, amusing, or lively. That which entertains usually does so because of a plan or program that engages and holds the attention by being pleasing and sometimes instructive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To amuse
a·muse   (ə-myōōz')   
tr.v.   a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es

  1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion.

  2. To cause to laugh or smile by giving pleasure: I was not amused by his jokes.

  3. 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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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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