Entertaiment — a wide range of cultural forms that keep people amused, engaged, and diverted — is increasingly central to the way we live. It is a major industry, providing significant employment opportunities. It is also a storehouse of the values and beliefs of society, influencing public discourse and defining culture in ways that affect our daily lives. The word entertainment is derived from the Middle Latin intertenere, meaning “to hold inside.” The prefix inter means “inside,” and the suffix tenere suggests holding something in reserve.
Click on a collocation to see more examples. These examples are automatically curated from corpora and other sources on the web. They do not represent the views of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
This article was updated on Oct 8, 2018. Learn more about our commitment to accuracy and quality.