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Entertain Common

Entertain has 5 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

Entertainment; pleasure.

"The new amusement park offers endless entertainment for visitors of all ages."

Verb
1

provide entertainment for

"The magician performed tricks to entertain the crowd at the birthday party."

2

take into consideration, have in view

"He entertained the notion of moving to South America"

3

maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

"bear a grudge"

"entertain interesting notions"

"harbor a resentment"

4

To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.

"The magician performed a clever trick that entertained the entire audience."

In plain English: To entertain means to amuse someone by telling jokes, performing tricks, or engaging them in an interesting activity so they have fun.

"My grandfather loves to entertain his grandchildren with funny stories and magic tricks every Sunday afternoon."

Usage: Use "entertain" when you want someone to laugh, smile, or lose interest in other things through performance or conversation. It is often confused with "treat," but while a treat involves providing food or gifts, entertaining focuses purely on engaging your audience's attention agreeably.

Example Sentences
"My grandfather loves to entertain his grandchildren with funny stories and magic tricks every Sunday afternoon." verb
"We decided to entertain guests with a simple dinner and some music." verb
"The comedian entertained the audience with jokes that made everyone laugh." verb
"She likes to entertain herself by reading books during long flights." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
socialize contemplate feel
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
host amuse

Origin

The word "entertain" comes from Old French entretenir, which combined words meaning "among" and "to hold." Its original sense was to keep someone occupied or to maintain a relationship.

Rhyming Words
ain iain jain nain hain rain vain lain gain fain sain main kain wain zain dain tain bain pain cain
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