What does "entertainment" mean?
An activity designed to give pleasure, enjoyment, diversion, amusement, or relaxation to an audience, no matter whether the audience participates passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games.
Entertainment
/ˌɛn.təˈteɪn.mənt/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An activity designed to give pleasure, enjoyment, diversion, amusement, or relaxation to an audience, no matter whether the audience participates passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games.
- Grammar: entertainment is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: amusement, amusement, amusements, animal pleasure.
- Useful contrasts: abandonment, boredom, disinterest.
- Usage evidence: Australians excel at sports and entertainment.
How to use "entertainment"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "entertainment" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "entertainment" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "entertainment" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "entertainment" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "entertainment" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amusement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "entertainment", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An activity designed to give pleasure, enjoyment, diversion, amusement, or relaxation to an audience, no matter whether the audience participates passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games. countable, uncountable
"The delinquents are generally the adventurous type, who have little use for reading and other non-active entertainment."
- 2 an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention wordnet
- 3 A show put on for the enjoyment or amusement of others. countable, uncountable
- 4 Maintenance or support. countable, obsolete, uncountable
""This," said the matronly presence, ushering me into a low room on the right, "is where the Travellers sit by the fire, and cook what bits of suppers they buy with their fourpences." "O! Then they have no Entertainment?" said I. For the inscription over the outer door was still running in my head, and I was mentally repeating, in a kind of tune, "Lodging, entertainment, and fourpence each.""
- 5 An admission into service; a service. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"He must think us some band of strangers i' the adversary's entertainment."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The payment of soldiers or servants; wages. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The entertainment of the general upon his first arrival was but six shillings and eight pence."
- 7 A reception; a (provision of) food to guests or travellers. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"I prithee, shepherd, if that love or gold Can in this desert place buy entertainment, Bring us where we may rest ourselves and feed."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Australians excel at sports and entertainment."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "entertainment"?
Common synonyms include: amusement, amusement, amusements, animal pleasure, athletics, attraction.
How do you use "entertainment" in a sentence?
Australians excel at sports and entertainment.
How do you pronounce "entertainment"?
Pronounced /ˌɛn.təˈteɪn.mənt/.
Etymology
From Middle English entretenement (“support, maintenance”), from Old French entretenement; see entertain. Morphologically entertain + -ment.