Dictionary

amuse en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /əˈmjuːz/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Medieval Latin musumder.? Old French muser Old French amuserbor. Middle English *amusen English amuse From Late Middle English *amusen (“to mutter, be astonished, gaze meditatively on”), 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 Vulgar Latin *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”). Alternative etymology connects muser and musa with Frankish *muoza (“careful attention, leisure, idleness”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtǭ (“leave, permission”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to acquire, possess, control”). This would make it a cognate of Dutch musen (“to leisure”), Old High German *muoza (“careful attention, leisure, idleness”) and muozōn (“to be idle, have leisure or opportunity”), German Muße (“leisure”). More at empty.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions.
   • I watch these movies because they amuse me.
   • A group of children amusing themselves with pushing stones from the top [of the cliff], and watching as they plunged into the lake. 1786, William Gilpin, Observations, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty, made in the year 1772, on several parts of England; particularly the mountains, and lakes of Cumberland, and Westmoreland:
   • 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.
2. (transitive) To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.
   • His jokes rarely fail to amuse me.
3. (archaic, transitive) To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.
4. (archaic, transitive) To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.
   • Being amused with grief, fear, and fright, he could not find the house. 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
   • the enemies were amused on the fires that our men made 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
   • Hairs which have most amused me have not been in the Face or Head, but on the Back, and not in Men but Children, as I long ago observed in that Endemial Distemper of little Children in Languedock, called the Morgellons, […] 1690, Thomas Browne, A Letter to a Friend:

Forms

Deriveds

amusement · amusee · amusable · amusive · reamuse

Synonyms

exhilarate · gratify · divert · entertain · slay · beguile · please

Translations (83)

sl zabavati (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · sk baviť (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl śmieszyć (to cause laughter) · io amuzar (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · kw didhana (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · hu mulattat (to cause laughter) · ru смеши́ть (to cause laughter) · ru отвлека́ть (archaic: to keep in expectation) · be забаўля́ць (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · de erheitern (to cause laughter) · nl amuseren (to cause laughter) · ru завлека́ть (archaic: to keep in expectation) · ca divertir (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · hu szórakoztat (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ca distreure (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · la oblectō (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · uk ба́вити (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl rozerwać (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · mi whakakata (to cause laughter) · ru отвле́чь (archaic: to keep in expectation) · sh zàbavljati (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · bg забавля́вам (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · kk ойнату (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru позаба́вить (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · de amüsieren (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru рассмеши́ть (to cause laughter) · mi whakakatakata (to cause laughter) · fi naurattaa (to cause laughter) · es distraer (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · hu nevettet (to cause laughter) · mwl adbertir (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · am አስደሰተ (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl bawić (to cause laughter) · mi whakangāoko (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · es divertir (to cause laughter) · hu megnevettet (to cause laughter) · sk zabávať (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · es entretener (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pt divertir (to cause laughter) · eo amuzi (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · de vergnügen (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · uk забавля́ти (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · mi whakangahau (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · bg развлича́м (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · be ба́віць (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · it svagare (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · es embebecer (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · mwl adbertir (to cause laughter) · bg разсмивам (to cause laughter) · ro amuza (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru забавля́ть (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · fi hauskuuttaa (to cause laughter) · de belustigen (to cause laughter) · la dēlectō (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · hi बहलाना (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru завле́чь (archaic: to keep in expectation) · ru развле́чь (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl zabawiać (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru развлека́ть (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · sh за̀бављати (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ca entretenir (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · fi viihdyttää (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · uk розважа́ти (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · sh за̀бавити (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ang tǣtan (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · cy diddori (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · nl amuseren (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · sh zàbaviti (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · he שִׁעֲשֵׁעַ (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pt entreter (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · nb more (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pt divertir (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl rozbawić (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · ru насмеши́ть (to cause laughter) · mk забавува (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl rozśmieszać (to cause laughter) · mwl antretener (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl rozśmieszyć (to cause laughter) · am አሣቀ (to cause laughter) · fr amuser (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · pl bawić (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · cs bavit (to entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner) · fi huvittaa (to cause laughter)