entertainment

noun

ˌen-tər-ˈtān-mənt How to pronounce entertainment (audio)
Definition of entertainmentnext
1
as in amusement
the act or activity of providing pleasure or amusement especially for the public we didn't stay for the featured entertainment because we don't care for comedy acts the film is purely for entertainment and not meant to be taken seriously

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in recreation
someone or something that provides amusement or enjoyment what do you do for entertainment in this town?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 entertainment There’s also other entertainment on tap at the black-tie shindig, which raises funds to help grant wishes for over 9,000 children facing critical illnesses throughout South Florida. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Jackson has completed several public works honoring entertainment figures, including Richard Pryor, along with others celebrating notable Chicago residents such as Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ernie Banks and Irv Kupcinet. — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Developers envision the indoor arena as an anchor for an ambitious entertainment district that could create a downtown lacking in Rancho Cordova since before the city was incorporated in 2003. — Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Greg Bartoli, the founder and CEO of PopStroke, built the golf-entertainment brand alongside Tiger Woods. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for entertainment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for entertainment
  1. amusement
  2. recreation
  3. enjoyment
  4. diversion
  5. production
  6. fun
  7. delight
  8. pleasure
Noun
  • Opening in limited release on October 15, critics are more or less united in their awe, amusement, and sheer bafflement at what Fielder and Oppenheim were able to capture.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which oversees safety inspections of amusement and carnival rides, has also launched an investigation of the roller coaster.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of amusement
Noun
  • According to its governing body, the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA), which was founded in 2000, Nordic walking is now practised in over 40 countries for health, fitness, recreation, social connection, and competitive sport.
    — Lola Akinmade, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Each ring has roughly 800 diamonds and a recreation of the world's most famous arena.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of recreation
Noun
  • Complicating matters, one person’s cringe is another’s enjoyment.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Separate research from Prudential Financial recently found that more than six in 10 retirees with at least $500,000 in investable assets do not feel comfortable spending money for enjoyment.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of enjoyment
Noun
  • That includes investing in treatment and diversion programs that offer assistance to people struggling with addiction, community violence intervention programs, youth services, counseling and alternative response programs.
    — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Clever architecture means that the hotel’s true scale—and make no mistake, this is a bells-and-whistles resort with enough diversions to keep guests occupied for weeks—is hidden until the final moment.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of diversion
Noun
  • That production is the wrinkle that elevates Seventhirty’s lyrics from modern dating podcast material to pure melodrama.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The company is executing multiple expansion projects at its East Camden site, including the Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities and two new facilities to support PAC-3 propulsion production.
    — Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of production
Noun
  • Firmware fun Flashing the firmware to the Arduino should be the easy part, but this is when things started falling apart for me.
    — Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Hotels in the area get in on the fun, too, like the Kennebunkport Inn, which places guests in the center of Dock Square and offers Prelude Tents featuring drinks and DJs.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of fun
Noun
  • Grenada The new year marks the 150th anniversary of Spicemas, the annual August carnival in Grenada, which is known as the Spice Island due to its cultivation of nutmeg, cloves and other scented delights.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That may not be everybody’s notion of delight, but each to his own.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of delight
Noun
  • While some call it innovative, is there something that gets missed when the hard conversations about safety and pleasure become a digital feedback loop?
    — Brittany Luse, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Neufchatel Cheese This is just diet cream cheese, for those who prefer to sacrifice the small pleasures in life.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pleasure

Browse Nearby Words

entertaining
entertainment
entertainments
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Entertainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/entertainment. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on entertainment

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about entertainment

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All