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

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.