Word · Frequency #4478
entertain
招待，款待；考虑，怀抱
to provide amusement or enjoyment for someone, or to receive and consider an idea or suggestion
- 1.
To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.
使(某人)娱乐；愉快地吸引注意力。
- 2.
To have someone over at one's home, or some other venue, for a party or visit.
邀请某人到家中或其他场所聚会或拜访。
- 3.
To receive and take into consideration; to have a thought in mind.
接受并考虑；心中有一个想法。
使(某人)娱乐；愉快地吸引注意力。；邀请某人到家中或其他场所聚会或拜访。；接受并考虑；心中有一个想法。；娱乐；招待
In use
We entertained our guests with a barbecue in the garden.
She entertained the idea of studying abroad.
The clown entertained the children at the party.
entertain + person
后接人，表示招待或款待。
We entertained our guests at a restaurant.
我们在餐厅招待了客人。
entertain + idea/thought
后接抽象概念，表示考虑或怀抱（想法）。
She entertained the idea of moving to Paris.
她考虑过搬到巴黎的想法。
entertain + person + with + something
with后接娱乐方式或物品。
He entertained the children with magic tricks.
Connections
Collocations
- entertain guests
- 招待客人
- She loves to entertain guests with home-cooked meals.她喜欢用家常菜招待客人。
- entertain the idea
- 考虑这个想法
- He refused to entertain the idea of moving to another city.他拒绝考虑搬到另一个城市的想法。
- entertain a possibility
- 考虑一种可能性
- We are open to entertain any possibility that could improve efficiency.我们愿意考虑任何可能提高效率的可能性。
- entertain with stories
- 用故事娱乐
- The old man entertained the children with fascinating stories.老人用迷人的故事娱乐孩子们。
- entertain the crowd
- 娱乐观众
- The magician entertained the crowd with amazing tricks.魔术师用神奇的魔术娱乐了观众。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
拆分记忆：enter（进入）+ tain（谐音“听”），想象进入宴会听音乐，就是娱乐招待。
Context & Register
该词作“招待”讲时，通常用于社交场合，如招待客人或举办活动，比较常见于正式或半正式语境。
Grammar Note
及物动词时后接宾语；不及物动词时无需宾语。
Pronunciation & Spelling
Words ending in -tain such as those listed rhyme with 'entertain' (stressed /teɪn/). Be wary of lookalikes like 'certain' or 'curtain' where -tain is pronounced /tən/.
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 3，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.