What is Entertaiment?

The clown at the birthday party, the Broadway show, your friends fighting over the last potato chip–all these and more are entertainment. The word derives from the old French entretenir, which means “to hold together.” Today it’s about amusement and distraction–a way of keeping people happy, occupied, or at least interested. It’s a broad category that includes theatrical entertainment like shows, visual entertainment such as movies or art, and audio entertainment such as music. Click on the buttons below to find related words and collocations.