Dictionary / amuse
amuse
- verb
- from Old French
To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “amuse” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- transitiveTo entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions.
I watch these movies because they amuse me.
- transitiveTo cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.
His jokes rarely fail to amuse me.
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- archaictransitiveTo keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.
- archaictransitiveTo occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- verboccupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion — also: divert, disport
- verbmake (somebody) laugh
Synonyms: entertain, gratify, please, divert, beguile, exhilarate, slay
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)amuse
- Old Frenchamuser “to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”
- Old Frencha- + muser “to stare stupidly at, gape, wander, waste time, loiter, think carefully about, attend to”
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.
Derivatives — words built from “amuse”
Want to go deeper? See also “amuse” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “amuse” came from before it was English.
The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
amuse v. t. [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, (L. ad) + OF. muser. See Muse, v.]
- To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.
- To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing or mirthful emotions; to divert.
- To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.
amuse v. i.
- To muse; to mediate.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: 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.
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.
verbMeaning: To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.
His jokes rarely fail to amuse me.
verbMeaning: occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
The play amused the ladies
verbMeaning: make (somebody) laugh
The clown amused the children
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
amuse
/əˈmjuːz/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
amuse
/əˈmjuːz/ · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “amuse” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“I watch these movies because they amuse me.”
Circle the meaning used.
“His jokes rarely fail to amuse me.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “amuse” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Old French amuser. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — amuse
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.
Origin: A. Old French (Old French amuser)
Journey: English amuse ← Old French amuser ← Old French a- + muser
Some derivatives: amusable, amusee, amusement, amusive, reamuse
Original meaning: Old French amuser — “to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”
Built from: a- + muser “to stare stupidly at, gape, wander, waste time, loiter, think carefully about, attend to”
Etymology: 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”).
Sources: Wiktionary “amuse” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amuse#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/amuse