Entertainment is anything that occupies one’s attention or interest. It may be fun, but it usually is designed to appeal to a certain group or individual, not everyone will agree on what is considered entertaining.

Whether it’s the clown at your child’s birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert or your friends fighting over the last potato chip, entertainment is a distraction from our daily grind or mundane reality. The word comes from the Middle French entretenir, which means to keep company or entertain. It has been linked to hospitality and the idea of keeping people happy, but more recently has come to mean amusement or diverting activity.