entertained

/en.təˈteɪn/ (bre, ipa) · [ˌɛntɚtˈend] /en.t̬ɚˈteɪn/ (ame, ipa)

entertained — 動詞

  • entertainedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • entertaineds3rd person singular
  • entertaineding-ing form
  • entertainededpast simple

1. kept an audience happy and amused, usually by performing for them, telling stori

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

娛樂；逗樂

讓一群人感到開心、有趣

kept an audience happy and amused, usually by performing for them, telling stories, playing music, or running activities they could enjoy together.

例句

Hassan entertained the children with magic tricks at his nephew's birthday party.

Hassan 在姪子的生日派對上用魔術逗樂了那些小朋友。

entertained + people + with + activity

A jazz trio entertained the dinner guests throughout the evening at the small hotel.

一支爵士三重奏整晚在那家小旅館裡娛樂著用餐的客人。

subject is performers; object is audience

同義詞
  • amused

    more focused on making someone laugh; lighter and more casual than 'entertained'.

  • delighted

    stresses the audience's strong pleasure, not the performer's activity.

  • diverted

    formal; suggests taking attention off worries rather than active performance.

反義詞
  • bored

    describes the audience's feeling when no one entertained them.

文法句型

entertained + people

entertained + with + activity

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person who performs or organises (host, musician, comedian); object is the audience being amused. Distinguish from sense 2, where the focus is hosting guests at home with food rather than performing.

常見錯誤

❌The film entertained to the audience.
✅The film entertained the audience.
💡'entertain' takes a direct object; no preposition before the person being amused.

2. welcomed visitors into one's home and offered them food and drink, sometimes as

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

招待；款待

邀客人到家中並提供餐飲

welcomed visitors into one's home and offered them food and drink, sometimes as part of a planned social or business occasion.

例句

Maeve entertained her parents-in-law with a roast dinner on their first visit to Dublin.

Maeve 在公婆第一次來都柏林時，用一頓烤肉大餐款待了他們。

entertained + guests + with + food

The Lin family entertained visitors from Taiwan every weekend during the summer holidays.

Lin 一家整個暑假每個週末都會招待從台灣來的訪客。

同義詞
  • hosted

    neutral and common; less focused on food and drink than 'entertained'.

  • welcomed

    stresses the arrival moment, not the meal or full visit.

  • received

    formal; often used of official visits rather than friendly meals.

文法句型

entertained + guests

entertained at home

用法筆記

Subject is the host; object (when present) is the visitor. The verb often appears intransitively when describing someone's general habits ('she rarely entertains'). Distinguish from sense 1, where amusement is delivered through a performance, not hospitality at home.

常見錯誤

❌They entertained at the restaurant their friends.
✅They entertained their friends at the restaurant.
💡keep the object close to the verb; place location after.

3. was willing to think seriously about a thought, possibility, or proposal without

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

考慮；接受

願意認真思考某個想法或可能性

was willing to think seriously about a thought, possibility, or proposal without yet agreeing to it, often something doubtful or unwelcome.

例句

Darius briefly entertained the idea of leaving his job and opening a small bookshop in Athens.

Darius 曾短暫考慮過辭職，到雅典開一家小書店。

entertained + the idea of + verb-ing

Gabriela never entertained the possibility that her business partner might be lying to her.

Gabriela 從沒考慮過自己的生意夥伴可能在對她說謊。

entertained + the possibility that-clause

同義詞
  • considered

    neutral; weighs options actively, while 'entertained' is more about being open to the thought.

  • contemplated

    stresses long, thoughtful reflection; more solitary than 'entertained'.

  • weighed

    implies comparing several options, not just being open to one.

反義詞
  • rejected

    refuses even to think about the idea, the opposite of being open to it.

  • dismissed

    treats the idea as not worth thinking about at all.

文法句型

entertained + the idea/thought/possibility of

用法筆記

Object must be an abstract noun (idea, thought, possibility, hope, doubt, proposal); never a person or physical object. Often appears in negative or qualified contexts ('refused to entertain', 'briefly entertained', 'would not entertain'). Distinguish from sense 1 (amuse) and sense 2 (host), which take human objects.

常見錯誤

❌She entertained her sister about moving to Berlin.
✅She entertained the idea of moving to Berlin.
💡this sense takes an abstract noun as object, not a person.