Entertained Entertain Entertaining Stories Verb Bre ˌentəˈteɪn ˌentərˈteɪn

• the job involves a lot of entertaining.
• barbecues are a favourite way of entertaining friends.
• he entertained us for hours with his stories and jokes.
• the aim of the series is both to entertain and inform.

entertain

1. to invite people to eat or drink with you as your guests, especially in your home
• The job involves a lot of entertaining.
• Barbecues are a favourite way of entertaining friends.
2. to interest and amuse somebody in order to please them
• He entertained us for hours with his stories and jokes.
• The aim of the series is both to entertain and inform.
3. to consider or allow yourself to think about an idea, a hope, a feeling, etc.
• He had entertained hopes of a reconciliation.
• to entertain a doubt/suspicion

Extra Examples

• Films can entertain and educate, make you laugh or cry.
• I am amazed that such a crackpot scheme could be seriously entertained.
• She entertained us with stories of her travels.
• She would make no promises, but was prepared to entertain the idea.
• The Bradfords always entertained lavishly at Christmas.
• They entertained us to lunch in their new house.
• We hired a magician to keep the children entertained.
• briefly entertaining hopes that he might keep the affair a secret
• Two of the students kept the children entertained with a puppet show.

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they entertain
• he / she / it entertains
• past simple entertained
• past participle entertained
• -ing form entertaining

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from French entretenir, based on Latin inter ‘among’ + tenere ‘to hold’. The word originally meant ‘ maintain, continue’, later ‘maintain in a certain condition, treat in a certain way’, also ‘show hospitality’ (late 15th cent.).