Synonym Chooser

How is the word amuse different from other verbs like it?

The words divert and entertain are common synonyms of amuse. While all three words mean "to pass or cause to pass the time pleasantly," amuse suggests that one's attention is engaged lightly.

amuse yourselves while I make dinner

When might divert be a better fit than amuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to amuse, divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.

a light comedy to divert the tired businessman

Where would entertain be a reasonable alternative to amuse?

The words entertain and amuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entertain suggests supplying amusement by specially contrived methods.

a magician entertaining children at a party

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of amuse After expanding its burgeoning sports business through a partnership with Robinhood, the two platforms received cease-and-desist letters from the New Jersey and Nevada governments, who weren’t amused by the semantic argument. Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025 The children try to amuse themselves with TV and video games, but their boredom is clear. Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025 Zoë has been Artemis' right-hand warrior for more than 2,000 years, giving her a more serious nature that amuses modern demigods. EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025 His uncharacteristic clumsiness amused me. Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for amuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amuse
Verb
  • These initiatives still fall within the purview established by recent Supreme Court decisions, and remain steps that companies can entertain even in the current legal climate.
    Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The only way Golden State can even entertain that kind of move, though, is if Kuminga doesn't accept the qualifying offer, and instead signs a larger, multi-year deal this offseason.
    Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Like his Washington, Bargatze’s Farnsworth regaled a trio of underlings (SNL cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) with ridiculous yet accurate predictions for the future, in this case of TV.
    Judy Berman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Her mother, an enslaved woman whose name is lost to history, had been a storyteller, too, regaling the girl with folktales on the Maryland plantation where she was born in the mid-nineteenth century.
    April White, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Amuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amuse. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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