amuse
gb/əmjˈuz/ us/əmjˈuz/
B1
English
~ 1400
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Make someone find something funny
To make someone laugh or enjoy something.
Usage pattern:
to amuse [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'amuse' with 'amazed'. 'Amuse' is about making someone enjoy or laugh; 'amaze' is about surprising them greatly.
Synonyms
entertain (Broader in scope; can include non-funny enjoyment.)
|
delight (Stronger sense of joy, not necessarily humorous.)
Antonyms
bore (To cause disinterest or annoyance instead of enjoyment.)
Collocations
amuse the children
|greatly amuse
|amuse yourself
|amuse the audience
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The comedian's jokes never fail to amuse the crowd.
- Her witty comments amused everyone at the dinner table.
- He amused himself by drawing funny cartoons.
- The magician's tricks amused the children.
- I was amused by his clever response.
Learner examples
- The movie amused me a lot.
- The clown amused the kids.
- She amused us with a funny story.
- He amused himself with a game.
- The joke amused my friends.
Verb
B1
action
2
Pass time in an enjoyable way
To do something fun so you are not bored.
Usage pattern:
to amuse oneself [by/with doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use reflexive pronoun 'myself', 'yourself', etc., when the subject and object are the same person.
Synonyms
entertain oneself (Direct equivalent; slightly more formal.)
Antonyms
idle (To do nothing, often leading to boredom.)
Collocations
amuse oneself with a book
|amuse oneself by playing games
Themes
daily life
|leisure
|daily_life
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She amused herself by watching old movies on a rainy day.
- He amused himself with crossword puzzles during the flight.
- I amused myself by sketching while waiting.
Learner examples
- I amused myself with a game.
- She amused herself by reading a book.
- He amused himself with music.
Grammar
Dictionary form
amuse
IPA
GB/əmjˈuz/
US/əmjˈuz/
Syllables & stress
amuse (1 syllable)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: amuse
- 3rd Person Singular: amuses
- Present Participle: amusing
- Past: amused
Word family
Expressions
be easily amused
1/bˈi ˈizəli əmjˈuzd/
fixed phrase
Laugh at small things easily
To laugh or enjoy things that are simple or not very funny.
Examples
- She’s easily amused and laughs at almost anything.
- I must be easily amused because that silly video made me laugh.
keep yourself amused
1/kˈip jʊɹsˈɛlf əmjˈuzd/
fixed phrase
Stay entertained on your own
To find things to do so you are not bored.
Examples
- You’ll have to keep yourself amused while I’m at work.
- There are plenty of books here to keep yourself amused.