Entertainment definition oxford

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun entertainment licence.

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Entertainment definition oxford

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Although people's attention is held by different things because individuals have different preferences, most forms of entertainment are recognisable and familiar. Storytelling , music , drama , dance , and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts , and developed into sophisticated forms over time, becoming available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products, to a banquet adapted for two, to any size or type of party with appropriate music and dance, to performances intended for thousands, and even for a global audience. The experience of being entertained has come to be strongly associated with amusement , so that one common understanding of the idea is fun and laughter, although many entertainments have a serious purpose. This may be the case in various forms of ceremony , celebration, religious festival , or satire , for example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears to be entertainment may also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth. An important aspect of entertainment is the audience, which turns a private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a passive role, as in the case of people watching a play , opera , television show , or film ; or the audience role may be active, as in the case of games , where the participant and audience roles may be routinely reversed. Entertainment can be public or private, involving formal, scripted performances, as in the case of theatre or concerts , or unscripted and spontaneous, as in the case of children's games. Most forms of entertainment have persisted over many centuries, evolving due to changes in culture, technology, and fashion, as with stage magic.

In modern times, some of the grandest buildings for entertainment have brought fame to their cities as well as their designers. Main article: Magic illusion. French English to French.

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There are 27 meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb entertain , 15 of which are labelled obsolete. The earliest known use of the verb entertain is in the Middle English period — Etymons: French entretenir. Sign in with library card. Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic. Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into entertain, v. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose. Skip to main content. Dictionary Historical Thesaurus.

Entertainment definition oxford

Definition of entertainment noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English. Toggle navigation. Resources home Text Checker. Resources Resources home Text Checker. English American English.

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Collins English Dictionary. For example, during the Nazi regime, American dances such as swing , regarded as "completely un-German", had "become a public offense and needed to be banned". Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing. From the Hansard archive. There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun entertainment value. The Business of Entertainment. See Definitions and Examples ». Fairs and exhibitions have existed since ancient and medieval times, displaying wealth, innovations and objects for trade and offering specific entertainments as well as being places of entertainment in themselves. In other projects. Aside from their contribution to entertainments related to military successes, courtly displays and personal celebrations, fireworks are also used as part of religious ceremony. Aestheticization of politics Applied aesthetics Arts criticism Axiology Evolutionary aesthetics Mathematical beauty Neuroesthetics Patterns in nature Philosophy of design Philosophy of film Philosophy of music Psychology of art Theory of art. Birthdays, name-days, weddings and anniversaries provided the occasion for celebration. Bhangra dancers at the International Children's Festival. First used in China, classical antiquity and Europe for military purposes, fireworks were most popular in the 18th century and high prices were paid for pyrotechnists , especially the skilled Italian ones, who were summoned to other countries to organise displays.

Forget doing it or forget to do it? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns 2. Add to word list Add to word list.

Media Entertainment — the psychology of its appeal. Quiz French confusables. Channel View Publication. Bilingual Dictionaries. Factsheet for entertainment licence entertainment license, n. Superhero comics of the Golden Age: the illustrated history. One of the most famous visual accounts of children's games is a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder called Children's Games , painted in Victory banquet by Emperor Qianlong to greet the officers who attended the campaign against Taiwan. Toggle limited content width. Forgot password? Read more.