amuse

verb

(transitive) To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions.

(transitive) To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.

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

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

Roots

muser-muse · Old French · to ponder, stare

Synonyms for amuse

entertainv titillatev divertv distractv exhilaratev beguilev fascinatev delightn regalev ticklen

Synonyms & related words for amuse

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of amuse — including entertain, titillate, divert, distract, exhilarate, beguile. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to amuse

Explore words related to amuse — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include amusable, disport, amusedly, amusement, bemuse, excite, tantalization, gratify. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for amuse

Common synonyms for amuse include entertain, titillate, divert, distract, exhilarate, beguile, fascinate, delight — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does amuse come from?

The word amuse breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root -muse, from Old French muser (“to ponder, stare”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.