as in entertains
to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied
the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 amuses
Zoë has been Artemis' right-hand warrior for more than 2,000 years, giving her a more serious nature that amuses modern demigods.
—
EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amuses
Verb
-
Washington Post food critic Elazar Sontag entertains your restaurant questions, rants and raves.—
Elazar Sontag,
Washington Post,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The episode delivers the cozy, inviting format fans love, giving viewers a closer look at how the Duchess of Sussex gets creative for the holidays, entertains, and cooks (not to mention what's in her winter wardrobe).—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
So, excited headlines about a blossoming romance between them certainly creates a narrative that distracts from all the negative news each has grappled with recently.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The constantly shifting allegiances are meant to form a twisty yarn in the aggregate, though the effect is largely just confusing — especially when Helen gets a subplot investigating her own past that distracts from her role as the chilly, withholding boss.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Amuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amuses. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share