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amuse Definition

amuse (ə myo̵̅o̅z)

transitive verb amused, amus·ing

  1. to keep pleasantly or enjoyably occupied or interested; entertain we amused ourselves with games
  2. to make laugh, smile, etc. by being comical or humorous
  3. Obsolete to engage the attention of so as to deceive; delude; bemuse

Etymology: Fr amuser < à, at + OFr muser, to stare fixedly, muse

amuse Related Forms
amus·able adjective amus·er noun amus·edly adverb
amuse Synonyms

amuse

v.

divert, entertain, cheer, beguile, occupy, interest, delight, regale, make laugh, strike as funny, recreate, tickle, tickle one's fancy, raise a laugh, convulse, crack up*, break up*, have rolling in the aisles*, have in stitches*, kill*, slay*, fracture*, tickle silly*; see also entertain 1.

amuse suggests the agreeable occupation of the mind, esp. by something that is light or appeals to the sense of humor we amused ourselves with a game of cards; the monkey's antics amused him; to divert is to take the attention from serious thought or worry to something that amuses; entertain implies planned amusement or diversion, often with some intellectual appeal another guest entertained us with folk songs; beguile suggests the occupation of time with an agreeable activity, largely to dispel boredom or tedium

amuse Usage Examples

Object

  • bouche: The amuse bouche was mashed potato with a strip of tapenade placed upon the top.
  • kid: How can I keep the kids amused during the holidays?
  • yourselves: You can amuse yourselves by experimenting with various faces... .
  • toddler: Puppet shows, entertainers and a giant sand pit will keep toddlers amused until they fall asleep!
  • crowd: Other characters such as the ' hobby horse ' or a clown, are often introduced to amuse the crowds.
  • audience: But there is enough in the book to keep audiences amused from Sutherland to Cornwall, Dyfed to Norfolk, for years to come.

Subject

  • fact: However, they are equally amused by the fact it work.

Preposition: during

  • holiday: How can I keep the kids amused during the holidays?

Infinitive complement

  • hear: I was amused to hear of McConnell's marriage, I wonder how Killiney 5 will appeal to him.
  • see: I'm amused to see that there is a remake of The Fog on the way.
  • find: I am amused to find that my status in Najaf is rising.
  • read: I was amused to read the frustrations of one reviewer, who lamented the fact that Cupitt keeps changing his mind.

Modifying Another Word

  • mildly: At the time I was mildly amused by the accuracy of the bird's aim.
  • faintly: I was faintly amused by her decision to color the pilgrims in bright colors tho, cerise tops and gold trousers!
  • greatly: The recital of the dialog greatly amused my friends.
  • somewhat: Whilst one can sympathize with the victim in this story, it is difficult not to be somewhat amused by events.
  • highly: I am highly amused that on the forum in question he is saying lots of rude things about Australians.
  • rather: The guards seemed to be rather amused at Des's passport photograph.

Preposition: for

  • while: Starting to color so can keep her amused for a while at least with felt pens and paper.
  • hour: An ideal way to keep the children amused for hours.
amuse Quotes

Why does one never hear of government funding for the preservation and encouragement of comic strips, girlie magazines and TV soap operas? Because these genres still hold the audience they were created to amuse and instruct.

—Updike,John Hoyer

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