entertainment

entertainment — noun

1. Things such as films, music, games, and shows that people enjoy watching, listen

1.nounB1
Definition

Things such as films, music, games, and shows that people enjoy watching, listening to, or doing.

Example

The town cinema shut down, leaving few entertainment options for local families.

uncountable: entertainment options

For entertainment, the Watanabe family often plays board games or watches films together on weekends.

collocation: for entertainment

Common collocations
  • live entertainment
  • family entertainment
  • entertainment industry
  • free entertainment
  • provide entertainment
Synonyms
  • amusement

    More about the feeling of being amused; slightly more informal and narrower in scope

  • recreation

    Focuses on free-time activities, especially active participation rather than watching

  • leisure

    Refers to free time itself rather than the activities that fill it

  • fun

    Informal and broader; describes any enjoyable experience, not limited to planned activities

Antonyms
  • work

    The opposite of leisure-time activity

  • boredom

    The feeling that arises when entertainment is absent

Usage Note

Often used as an uncountable noun (entertainment is…), but can be countable when referring to a specific show or event (various entertainments).

Common Mistakes

The film was a great entertainment.
The film was great entertainment.
entertainment is usually uncountable, so 'a' is not used before it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Entertainment is the broadest term, covering anything people watch, listen to, or do for enjoyment — from films and concerts to board games and video games. Amusement is narrower: it focuses on enjoyable moments that make you laugh or smile, such as a funny show or a theme-park ride. Recreation refers to active pursuits people do in their free time to relax or stay healthy, such as hiking, swimming, or gardening — it emphasises doing rather than watching. Leisure is the time available for these activities rather than the activities themselves. Fun is the most informal and general: a picnic with friends is fun, a comedy show is fun, but 'fun' would not be used for a formal concert. For example: 'The city offers many entertainment options.' 'She plays tennis for recreation.' 'He reads during his leisure time.' 'The children had great fun at the carnival.'

amusement ↗recreation ↗leisure ↗fun ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • entertainment industry
  • entertainment centre
  • entertainment business
  • entertainment district
  • entertainment venue

Phrases

  • live entertainment
  • a form of entertainment
  • provide entertainment
  • home entertainment

Prepositions

  • for entertainment

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Entertainment comes from the French word entretenir (to hold together, keep up, or receive as a guest), which itself comes from Latin inter- (among) + tenere (to hold). The suffix -ment turns the verb into a noun. In Middle English, entertainment originally meant 'maintenance' or 'support', then shifted to 'the act of receiving guests', and finally to the modern sense of 'amusing or interesting activities' in the 1600s.