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 commonly one of the activities or events developed over thousands of years specifically to engage an audience.

Although people's attention is captured by different things due to individual preferences, most forms of entertainment are recognisable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and various kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, and developed into sophisticated forms over time, eventually becoming available to the general public. Modern times have accelerated this process through an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual choosing private entertainment from an enormous array of pre-recorded products, to a banquet for two, to parties of any size with music and dance, to performances for thousands, and even global audiences.

The experience of being entertained is strongly associated with amusement, so one common understanding is fun and laughter, although many entertainments serve serious purposes. This can occur in various forms of ceremony, celebration, religious festival, or satire. Therefore, what appears as entertainment may also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth.

A key aspect of entertainment is the audience, which transforms a private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a passive role, as in people watching a play, opera, television show, or film; or an active role, as in games, where participant and audience roles can interchange. Entertainment can be public or private, involving formal, scripted performances such as theatre or concerts, or unscripted and spontaneous, as with children's games. Most forms of entertainment have persisted for centuries, evolving due to cultural, technological, and fashion changes, as seen with stage magic. Films and video games, though using newer media, continue to tell stories, present drama, and play music. Festivals devoted to music, film, or dance entertain audiences over consecutive days.

Some entertainment, such as public executions, is now illegal in most countries. Activities like fencing or archery, once used in hunting or war, have become spectator sports. Similarly, other activities, such as cooking, have evolved into performances among professionals, staged as global competitions, and broadcast for entertainment. What is entertaining for one group or individual may be considered work or cruelty by another.

Familiar forms of entertainment can cross over into different media and have demonstrated seemingly unlimited potential for creative remix, ensuring the continuity and longevity of many themes, images, and structures.