Amuse definition

ə-myo͝oz

Words form:

Frequency:

To cause to laugh or smile by being funny.

Amused the crowd with jokes.

verb

Amuse means keeping yourself or someone else occupied in a pleasant manner, usually by doing or letting someone do something enjoyable.

To have children play video games in order to occupy them is an example of amuse.

verb

To make laugh, smile, etc. by being comical or humorous.

verb

(archaic) To delude or deceive.

verb

To keep pleasantly or enjoyably occupied or interested; entertain.

We amused ourselves with games.

verb

The definition of amuse means to appeal to someone's sense of humor.

To tell funny stories to entertain people is an example of amuse.

verb

To cause laughter, to be funny.

verb

(archaic) To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.

verb

To hold the attention of or occupy in an agreeable fashion.

Amused myself with a puzzle.

verb

To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing emotions.

I watch these movies because they amuse me.

It always amuses me to hear the funny stories why people haven't got a ticket, but I never let them get in without paying.

verb

(archaic) To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.

verb

(obs.) To engage the attention of so as to deceive; delude; bemuse.

verb

Origin of amuse

From Old French amuser to stupefy a- to (from Latin ad- ad–) muser to stare stupidly muse

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Middle English amusen (“to mutter, be astonished, gaze meditatively on”), from Middle French amuser (“to amuse, divert, babble”), from Old French amuser (“to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”), from a- + muser (“to stare stupidly at, gape, wander, waste time, loiter, think carefully about, attend to”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Cognate with Occitan musa (“idle waiting”), Italian musare (“to gape idly about”). Possibly from Old French *mus (“snout”) from Proto-Romance *mūsa (“snout”) (—compare Medieval Latin mūsum (“muzzle, snout”)), from Proto-Germanic *mū- (“muzzle, snout”), from Proto-Indo-European *mū- (“lips, muzzle”). Compare North Frisian müs, mös (“mouth”), German Maul (“muzzle, snout”).

From Wiktionary
Alternative etymology connects Old French muser and Occitan musa with Old Frankish *muoza (“careful attention, leisure, idleness”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtǭ (“leave, permission”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to acquire, possess, control”). Cognate with Old High German *muoza (“careful attention, leisure, idleness”), Old High German muozōn (“to be idle, have leisure or opportunity”), German Muße (“leisure”). More at empty.

From Wiktionary