Entertaiment refers to any form of consumer activity that provides enjoyment. It has come to be understood as an experience that consists of a variety of forms that can be adapted for any scale. It can be a single person choosing a form of entertainment from a vast array of pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; or a performance for thousands.

The word entertainment comes from the Latin inter tenere (to hold within). It is related to hospitality, and it later came to mean amuse or distract. From there it shifted into what we know as theatrical entertainment as shows, visual entertainment as stuff to look at, and audio entertainment as music.