amuse

verb

ə-ˈmyüz 

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

Synonyms of amuse

• entertain
• regale

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

Stamos, for one, appeared amused to have been included. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026

Augusta National was not amused. —Ryan Brennan april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026

Footage of an American in Spain handling a pickpocket thief went viral when it was shared on social media, as viewers were amused by his quick reaction. —Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

Jessica Hecht, playing one of the hostages, adds her typically off-beat depth, and I was most amused by John Ortiz as the FBI agent with the standard G-man voice and personality to match. —Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing amuse

• amuse-bouche

Rhymes for amuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse
• ensues

Kids Definition

amuse

verb

ə-ˈmyüz 

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

-ˈmyü-zəd-lē 

adverb

amusingly

-ˈmyü-ziŋ-lē

adverb