entertain.
To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.
Meaning & usage
To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.
to entertain friends with lively conversation
The motivational speaker not only instructed but also entertained the audience.
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 entertain a proposal
To take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbour; to keep.
To meet or encounter, as an enemy.
To lead on; to bring along; to introduce.
To help; to assist; to answer a phone call.
Where this word 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”.
Entertainment; pleasure.
Reception of a guest; welcome.
Where this word 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”.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.