entertainment

noun

en·​ter·​tain·​ment ˌen-tər-ˈtān-mənt 

ˌin-

1

a

: amusement or diversion provided especially by performers

hired a band to provide entertainment

b

: something diverting or engaging: such as

(1)

: a public performance

(2)

: a usually light comic or adventure novel

2

: the act of entertaining

3

a

archaic : maintenance, provision

b

obsolete : employment

Synonyms of entertainment

• amusement
• recreation
• enjoyment
• production
• diversion

Examples of entertainment in a Sentence

Entertainment was provided by jugglers.

plays, movies, and other forms of entertainment

They played games in the evening for entertainment.

plays, movies, and other entertainments

Recent Examples on the Web

That's about as rare as a unicorn sighting these days in the entertainment world. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

This musical era came to a violent end under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s, which shuttered entertainment venues and killed nine in ten of the country’s professional musicians. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2026

If the Academy makes the move, the Emmys would be the second major entertainment business awards show to move to streaming. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

On Saturday, the club were part of the half-time entertainment at the Riverside, youngsters taking penalty kicks. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing entertainment

• entertainment value
• non-entertainment

Rhymes for entertainment

• ascertainment
• arraignment
• attainment
• containment
• entrainment
• sustainment

Kids Definition

entertainment

noun

en·​ter·​tain·​ment ˌen-tər-ˈtān-mənt 

1

: the act or process of providing pleasure, recreation, or amusement

2

: a means of amusement or recreation

especially : a public performance