amuseverb [ I or T ]
uk/əˈmjuːz/us/əˈmjuːz/B2 to entertain someone, especially by humorous speech or action or by making them laugh or smile:
I've brought an article from yesterday's paper that I thought might amuse you.
[ + obj + to infinitive ] I think it amuses him to see people make fools of themselves.
Apparently these stories are meant to amuse.
B2 to keep someone happy, especially for a short time:
We amused ourselves by watching the passers-by.
Shall I put on a DVD to amuse the kids?
More examples
- Joan was not amused by the joke her brother told.
- His attempts to appear sophisticated amused everyone.
- Could you think of a few games to amuse the children on the journey?
- I wonder what's amusing the boys so much - is it Granny's hat?
- A baby crawled to the front of the church during the sermon, which amused the congregation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Celebrating & entertaining
- a good time was had by all idiom
- amused
- bacchanalian
- banquet
- be a hoot idiom
- entertaining
- go to town idiom
- have a whale of a time idiom
- host
- kill
- kill the fatted calf idiom
- let your hair down idiom
- perform
- push
- revelry
- scintillate
- see in the New Year idiom
- spirit
- take sb out of himself/herself
- town
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Inspiring feelings in others