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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·musa·ble adj. a·muser 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). |
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