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
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Recent Examples of amuses
The thing that amuses me the most?
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
In December, the two sat down in Exactly Right’s Burbank headquarters — a setting that still amuses them both.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
In December, the two sat down in Exactly Right’s Burbank headquarters — a setting that still amuses them both.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amuses
Verb
-
This style of theater both enlightens and entertains, each actor stepping out of the ensemble inside Kelleher’s direction that teeters on the edge of heavy-handidness without ever getting there.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Take the quiz here … EGG DROP — Chef entertains food festival crowd with unexpected crack.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Handsome Belgian executive Geert (Arieh Worthalter) regales an enthusiastic crowd with a yarn, while his mousy tech head Luc (Jan Hammenecker) demonstrates to what might be the world’s first speech-to-text technology.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Ninny regales Evelyn with tales of Idgi, her sister-in-law and friend who used to run the Whistle Stop Cafe, a restaurant on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama, that served good coffee, better barbecue, and great gossip.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Choose roof shingles that complement your home's architecture and exterior color palette, treating the roof as a subtle backdrop that enhances rather than distracts.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Boardwalk trails zig to a marsh overlook, zagging back to a museum that pleasantly distracts the kids.—
Outside,
Outside,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amuses. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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