Synonym Chooser

How is the word amuse different from other verbs like it?

The words divert and entertain are common synonyms of amuse. While all three words 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

When might divert be a better fit than amuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to amuse, divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.

a light comedy to divert the tired businessman

Where would entertain be a reasonable alternative to amuse?

The words entertain and amuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entertain suggests supplying amusement by specially contrived methods.

a magician entertaining children at a party

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of amuse Doomed to amuse audiences through funniness or fear, maybe forever, Dastmalchian can awkwardly hover in a hallway like no other performer. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2025 What if somebody there decides to amuse himself by declaring a moratorium on debt repayments? William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 And the Obama camp, for example, was not amused when Biden's staffers were going around early in his first term and talking about how the American Rescue Plan was so much bigger than Obama's stimulus package back in 2009. Terry Gross, NPR, 8 Apr. 2025 What others think sometimes irritates but mostly amuses us. Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for amuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amuse
Verb
  • The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • Flanked by its banking advisors at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Robey Warshaw, ITV has reportedly been entertaining potential suitors since at least last November.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • The group went to dinner after the workout, where both sides remember regaling stories of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
    Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
  • In 2019, Tom Hanks regaled Jimmy Kimmel Live with the story of how he was twice robbed as a 14-year-old vendor at Oakland A’s baseball games.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Amuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amuse. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on amuse

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