1
: a means of amusing or entertaining
what are her favorite amusements
2
: the condition of being amused
could not hide his amusement
3
: pleasurable diversion : entertainment
plays the piano for amusement

Examples of amusement in a Sentence

I'm reading this novel for amusement. Several games were provided for the education and amusement of the children.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
While getting a little too liberal with his wife's lorazepam prescription, Timothy Ratliff, the secret-keeping patriarch on this season of the White Lotus, groggily joins his family while wearing just a robe — then accidentally flashes them all to their amusement and/or horror. Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025 The hour unfolds through a big location, features dozens of extras, and its focus keeps shifting between the cops, the teachers, and various groups of students who are having wildly disparate responses to the murder, from overwhelming grief to juvenile amusement. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025 To their mutual amusement, Riddle once argued a case before Abbott in court. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 Thousands of viewers commented about their amusement, and many couldn't get enough of Amaya's face when the penny dropped. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for amusement

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of amusement was in 1603

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Amusement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amusement. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

1
: something that amuses
2
: the condition of being amused

More from Merriam-Webster on amusement

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