entertain
English · Thesaurus
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entertain
- /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/ UK
- /ˌɛntɚˈteɪn/ Canada, US
- [ˌɛ̃ɾ̃ɚˈtʰeɪn] Canada, US
- /ˌentəˈtæɪn/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -eɪn
Where it comes from
From Middle English entertenen, from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from entre (“among”) + tenir (“to hold”), from Latin inter + teneō (“hold, keep”). For the noun, compare French entretien.
Sense of answering a phone call in Malaysian English is influenced by Malay layan “to serve, to attend to or engage with something”.
verb entertains · entertaining · entertained · entertaine
- To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably. to entertain friends with lively conversation
- To have someone over at one's home, or some other venue, for a party or visit. They enjoy entertaining a lot.
- To receive and take into consideration; to have a thought in mind. The committee would like to entertain the idea of reducing the budget figures.
- To take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbour; to keep. Intreat 'em fair, and give them friendly speech, And seem to them as if thy sins were great, Till thou hast gotten to be entertain'd.
- To meet or encounter, as an enemy. O noble English, that could entertain with half their forces the full pride of France
- To lead on; to bring along; to introduce. to baptize all nations, and to entertain them into the services and institutions of the holy Jesus
- To help; to assist; to answer a phone call.
noun entertaine
- Entertainment; pleasure. And Celſo, prethee let it be thy care to night / To haue ſome pretty ſhew, to ſolemnize / Our high inſtalement, ſome muſike maſkerie: / Weele giue faire entertaine vnto Maria […]
- Reception of a guest; welcome. But neede, that answers not to all requests, / Bad them not looke for better entertayne […]
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: toy with, hold, think of, turn to, think about, nurse, harbour, harbor, flirt with, amuse, play, merry, cherish, divert, distract, try
Translations
Every language
verb to amuse
| Español | divertir, entretener, bayear |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | बहलाना bahlānā |
| Kiswahili | tumbuiza |
| Português | divertir, entreter |
| Français | divertir |
| Deutsch | unterhalten |
| Italiano | divertire, intrattenere |
| Română | distra |
| Русский | развлека́ть razvlekátʹ, развле́чь razvléčʹ, забавля́ть zabavljátʹ, позаба́вить pozabávitʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | giải trí, tiêu khiển |
| עברית | בידר bidér |
verb to have over at one's home
| Français | recevoir |
|---|---|
| Русский | принима́ть госте́й prinimátʹ gostéj |
| עברית | ארח eréakh |
Talk about this word "entertain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/entertain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. entertain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/entertain "entertain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/entertain.Cite this
@misc{entertain_2026,
title = {entertain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/entertain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
