What Is Entertaiment?

Entertaiment is amusement or distraction, often involving a performance. A clown at a birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert, or your friends fighting over the last potato chip—all of these are entertainment. The word comes from the Old French entretenir, which meant hold together or support. Its also associated with hospitality, as entertaining guests means keeping them happy. The word has been around for a long time; Shakespeare was low-brow entertainment in his day. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘Entertainment.’ Views expressed in these examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.