Entertaiment

Entertaiment, as a verb, means to go in or force a way in. As an adjective, it denotes a diverting or amusing occupation: a newspaper crossword puzzle provides entertainment for many people. It can also be used to describe a performance or act: a ballet is an elaborate entertainment. In addition, there are some forms of entertainment that have a more serious purpose: ceremonies, celebrations, religious festivals and satire for example. Entertainment reaches across all kinds of media and is highly adaptable to individual and group tastes.

Article by the Editors of The OED, 23 August 2021. Follow @ODEdition on Twitter. Entertaiment first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1989. Related entries include entice, intrigue, occupy, penetrate, pierce, probe and amuse. See more words from the same year in our dictionary.