Amuse meaning
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
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 cause to laugh or smile by being funny.
Amused the crowd with jokes.
verb
To delude or deceive.
verb
To make laugh, smile, etc. by being comical or humorous.
verb
To keep pleasantly or enjoyably occupied or interested; entertain.
We amused ourselves with games.
verb
To engage the attention of so as to deceive; delude; bemuse.
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
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(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
Origin of amuse
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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