Entertain

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Entertain \En`ter*tain"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Entertained}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Entertaining}.] [F. entretenir; entre between
     (L. inter) + tenir to hold, L. tenere. See {Tenable}.]
     1. To be at the charges of; to take or keep in one's service;
        to maintain; to support; to harbor; to keep.
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              You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred. --Shak.
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     2. To give hospitable reception and maintenance to; to
        receive at one's board, or into one's house; to receive as
        a guest.
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              Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby
              some have entertained unawares.       --Heb. xiii.
                                                    2.
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     3. To engage the attention of agreeably; to amuse with that
        which makes the time pass pleasantly; to divert; as, to
        entertain friends with conversation, etc.
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              The weary time she can not entertain. --Shak.
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     4. To give reception to; to receive, in general; to receive
        and take into consideration; to admit, treat, or make use
        of; as, to entertain a proposal.
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              I am not here going to entertain so large a theme as
              the philosophy of Locke.              --De Quincey.
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              A rumor gained ground, -- and, however absurd, was
              entertained by some very sensible people.
                                                    --Hawthorne.
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     5. To meet or encounter, as an enemy. [Obs.] --Shak.
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     6. To keep, hold, or maintain in the mind with favor; to keep
        in the mind; to harbor; to cherish; as, to entertain
        sentiments.
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     7. To lead on; to bring along; to introduce. [Obs.]
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              To baptize all nations, and entertain them into the
              services institutions of the holy Jesus. --Jer.
                                                    Taylor.
  
     Syn: To amuse; divert; maintain. See {Amuse}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Entertain \En`ter*tain"\, v. i.
     To receive, or provide entertainment for, guests; as, he
     entertains generously.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Entertain \En`ter*tain"\, n. [Cf. F. entretien, fr. entretenir.]
     Entertainment. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  entertain
       v 1: provide entertainment for
       2: take into consideration, have in view; "He entertained the
          notion of moving to South America" [syn: {think of}, {toy
          with}, {flirt with}, {think about}]
       3: maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings); "bear a grudge";
          "entertain interesting notions"; "harbor a resentment"
          [syn: {harbor}, {harbour}, {hold}, {nurse}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  100 Moby Thesaurus words for "entertain":
     accommodate, admit, allow, amuse, amusement, bear, beguile, bestow,
     billet, board, bosom, cater to, cherish, cling to, clip, consider,
     contemplate, convulse, cultivate, delight, disport, dissipation,
     distraction, diversion, divert, divertissement, do the honors,
     domicile, embosom, embrace, enjoyment, enliven, entertain guests,
     entertainment, exhilarate, feed, fondle, foster, fracture one,
     gaiety, give a party, gladden, gratify, guest, harbor, have,
     have and hold, hold, hold on to, host, house, hug, inquire into,
     invite, keep, kill, knock dead, lodge, loosen up, maintain,
     nourish, nurse, nurture, occupy, play, please, pleasure, preside,
     put up, quarter, raise a laugh, raise a smile, receive, recreate,
     recreation, refresh, regale, rejoice, relax, relaxation, relief,
     room, see about, slay, sleep upon, solace, sport, support, sustain,
     take under advisement, take under consideration, think it over,
     throw a party, tickle, titillate, tolerate, treasure, treasure up,
     treat, wow
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Entertain
     Entertainments, "feasts," were sometimes connected with a public
     festival (Deut. 16:11, 14), and accompanied by offerings (1 Sam.
     9:13), in token of alliances (Gen. 26:30); sometimes in
     connection with domestic or social events, as at the weaning of
     children (Gen. 21:8), at weddings (Gen. 29:22; John 2:1), on
     birth-days (Matt. 14:6), at the time of sheep-shearing (2 Sam.
     13:23), and of vintage (Judg. 9:27), and at funerals (2 Sam.
     3:35; Jer. 16:7).
     
       The guests were invited by servants (Prov. 9:3; Matt. 22:3),
     who assigned them their respective places (1 Sam. 9:22; Luke
     14:8; Mark 12:39). Like portions were sent by the master to each
     guest (1 Sam. 1:4; 2 Sam. 6:19), except when special honour was
     intended, when the portion was increased (Gen. 43:34).
     
       The Israelites were forbidden to attend heathenish sacrificial
     entertainments (Ex. 34:15), because these were in honour of
     false gods, and because at such feast they would be liable to
     partake of unclean flesh (1 Cor. 10:28).
     
       In the entertainments common in apostolic times among the
     Gentiles were frequent "revellings," against which Christians
     were warned (Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21; 1 Pet. 4:3). (See {BANQUET}.)