amuse

/ə-ˈmyüz/

Middle French amuser, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + muser to muse

verb

  1. to entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner

  2. to appeal to the sense of humor of

  3. to divert the attention of so as to deceive

She tried to amuse the child with a story.

His jokes don't amuse me.

amuse divert entertain mean to pass or cause to pass the time pleasantly. amuse suggests that one's attention is engaged lightly. divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.

noun

  1. a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants