amuse

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to make somebody laugh

   The clown amused the children.

2. 2
   verb

   to occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion

   The play amused the ladies.

3. 3
   verb

   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.

4. 4
   verb

   To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.

   His jokes rarely fail to amuse me.

5. 5
   verb

   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.

6. 6
   verb

   To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- 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”) fr…