amusement

noun

ə-ˈmyüz-mənt How to pronounce amusement (audio)
Definition of amusementnext
as in entertainment
the act or activity of providing pleasure or amusement especially for the public with the opening of Disneyland in 1955, the film producer Walt Disney greatly expanded his amusement empire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 amusement To Reynolds, Mai was an embodiment of the universal nobility of humanity – a far cry from Westminster Magazine’s depiction of the islander as no more than a cheap amusement. — Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 This really feels like a Bahrain GP Ever since F1 announced its plan to hold the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, the naming quirk around the 3,700 miles between the two countries has been a source of online amusement. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Besides being a legendary singer and songwriter of chart-toppers, Parton as a shrewd entrepreneur turned her namesake Tennessee theme park Dollywood into one of the world’s top amusement destinations. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026 Without authentic longing, and without any bittersweet complexity to the portrait of one social order replacing another, we’re left with little more than puffs of amusement, enough to escalate your mood but bound to fade by morning. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for amusement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amusement
  1. entertainment
  2. recreation
Noun
  • The series is produced by sports and entertainment studio Full Day Productions, a Words + Pictures company, in collaboration with Lost Tribe Creative.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hello82, the K-pop entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, aims to plant a flag in the market with their upcoming 82World.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of entertainment
Noun
  • Kannapolis also has a parks and recreation bond referendum for $40 million plus interest.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The city also saw major residential growth, including a 412-home subdivision and plans for 1,000 apartments, along with new hotel and recreation developments.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of recreation

Browse Nearby Words

amuse-gueules
amusement
amusements
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Amusement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amusement. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All