amuser


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

a·muse

 (ə-myo͞oz′)
tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es
1. To hold the attention of or occupy in an agreeable fashion: amused myself with a puzzle.
2. To cause to laugh or smile by being funny: amused the crowd with jokes.
3. Archaic To delude or deceive.

[From Middle French amuser, from Old French, to fill with vain hopes, deceive : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + muser, to stare stupidly; see muse.]

a·mus′a·ble adj.
a·mus′er n.
Synonyms: amuse, entertain, divert, regale
These verbs refer to activities that provide pleasure or enjoyment. Amuse can suggest the idle pleasure derived from a pastime: I amused myself with a game of solitaire. It can also suggest the enjoyment of something humorous or laughable: The antics of the little dog amused the children. Entertain often implies a pleasure actively pursued by the imagination or through play: entertained herself with thoughts of what the weekend would bring; children entertaining themselves with games and puppets. It also refers to the enjoyment derived from artistic performance: has been entertaining audiences with his stories and music for many years. Divert implies distraction from worry, boredom, or low spirits: "I had neither Friends or Books to divert me" (Richard Steele).
To regale is to entertain with something that causes great mirth: "He loved to regale his friends with tales about the many memorable characters he had known as a newspaperman" (David Rosenzweig).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

amuser

(əmˈjuːzə)
n
a person who amuses or entertains
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
References in periodicals archive ?
Pour faire endormir, amuser ou soulager un bebe, les meres chantaient des berceuses dont les airs emplissent les tetes d'adultes.
Vous serez, naturellement, en excellente compagnie et si l'original de mon croquis peut vous amuser, je serai tres heureux de vous l'offrir.
C'etait la derniere sortie mediatique de l'ambassadeur algerien a Bruxelles, Amar Belani pour amuser la galerie avant les grandes vacances.
Dans le petit journal, ces images bizarres sont destinees avant tout a amuser le lecteur, a revetir des banalites d'une forme attrayante.
Pourquoi aller au lit alors que Jo vient juste de chanter "Nous avons toute la vie pour nous amuser, nous avons toute la mort pour nous reposer" ?.
Destinees a amuser les elites, les bambochades racontent des histoires qui parlent du quotidien.
Par-tout on voit la raison cher-cher a detruire les illusions de l'esprit et lui refuser meme les jeux qu'une imagination vive peut lui faire gouter: comme s'il s'agissoit d'instruire lorsqu'on veut amuser! Et pourquoi veut-on resserrer les limites des plaisirs de notre esprit?