Words / B2

uh-MYOOZ/əˈmjuːz/

To amuse is to make someone laugh or smile, or to keep them interested: amuse an audience; amuse yourself. Entertain and divert are close twins; amazing is a different word. The cartoon may amuse, but it is still a caricature to analyse. Mix-up: amaze / amazing; muse. Do not write amuse for a formal inquiry with no humour in the source.

Meaning

To make someone laugh or smile, or to keep them interested.

Examples

• “The cartoon may amuse, but it is still a caricature to analyse, the media paper said.”
• “Pupils amused themselves in the wet-break log, which is the occupy-yourself sense.”

Good to know

amuse + person; amuse yourself; amusing. Close: entertain / divert. Noun: amusement. Trap: amaze. Media, literature, and orals. Make someone laugh or stay interested, not “wow” them.

Near in meaning

entertain, divert, delight

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