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absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [Obs.] Camillus set upon the Gauls when they were amused in receiving their gold. Holland. Being amused with grief, fear, and fright, he could not find the house. Fuller.

Expressing amusement; as, an amused look.

Deep thought; muse. [Obs.] Here I . . . fell into a strong and deep amusement, revolving in my mind, with great perplexity, the amazing change of our affairs. Fleetwood.

One who amuses.

A light field cannon, or stocked gun mounted on a swivel.

lly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. "And cheeks all pale." Byron.

Capable of being amused.

Giving amusement; diverting; as, an amusing story. -- A*mus"ing*ly, adv.

Having power to amuse or entertain the mind; fitted to excite mirth. [R.] -- A*mu"sive*ly, adv. -- A*mu"sive*ness, n.

In England, a stick with a basket handle, used in rustic amusements; also, the game in which the stick is used. Also called singlestick. Halliwell.

by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.

The act or practice of rowing or sailing, esp. as an amusement; carriage in boats.

A large fire built in the open air, as an expression of public joy and exultation, or for amusement. Full soon by bonfire and by bell, We learnt our liege was passing well. Gay.

A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement. Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. Dorset. The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges. Dryden.

Blackstone. Boxing glove, a large padded mitten or glove used in sparring for exercise or amusement.

antiquity, in which men torment, and fight with, a bull or bulls in an arena, for public amusement, -- still popular in Spain. -- Bull"fight`er (, n.

A building or room used for meetings, or public amusements, for dancing, gaming, etc.

It was among the ruins of the Capitol that I first conceived the idea of a work which has amused and exercised near twenty years of my life. Gibbon. Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Is. lix. 13.

reign. -- Court fool, a buffoon or jester, formerly kept by princes and nobles for their amusement. -- Court guide, a directory of the names and adresses of the nobility and gentry in a town. -- Court hand, the hand or manner of writing used in records and judicial proceedings. Shak. -- Court lands (Eng. Law), land…

A temporary passion or infatuation, as for same new amusement, pursuit, or fashion; as, the bric-a-brac craze; the æsthetic craze. Various crazes concerning health and disease. W. Pater.