From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishamusea‧muse /əˈmjuːz/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 FUNNYto make someone laugh or smile He made funny faces to amuse the children. The question seemed to amuse him in some way.it amuses somebody that/how/to do It amused me to think back to my life in London.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say they think something is funny rather than say that it amuses them: The joke really amused them. → They thought the joke was really funny.2 ENJOY/LIKE DOING somethingto make time pass in an enjoyable way for someone, so that they do not get bored SYN entertain Doing jigsaws would amuse Amy for hours on end. The kids amused themselves playing hide-and-seek.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
amuse• In college she had liked his clipping service; now she seemed only amused by it.• She could go two days without sleep and was amused by the test she was undergoing.• Peering through steel-rimmed spectacles were chilly gray eyes that found little to be amused by.• Most ski resorts offer activities to amuse children and even non-skiers.• Something in the report had obviously amused him.• Adams first began drawing cartoons to amuse his coworkers.• It amuses me to see politicians so eager to please at election time.it amuses somebody that/how/to do• I know how it amuses him to reward loyalty by handfuls; how he likes to make a test of friends.amused themselves• And this was how the red people passed their time and amused themselves when they thought nobody was watching.• They also amused themselves with the speculation that their ancestor had escaped from the Titanic in women's clothing.Origin amuse (1400-1500) Old French amuser, from muser; → MUSE1 