engagement
Americannoun
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engagements
plural
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the act of engaging or the state of being engaged; involvement: The website failed because of weak visitor engagement.
Voter engagement and turnout were high.
The website failed because of weak visitor engagement.
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an appointment or arrangement.
a business engagement.
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betrothal.
They announced their engagement.
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a pledge; an obligation or agreement.
All his time seems to be taken up with social engagements.
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employment, or a period or post of employment, especially in the performing arts.
Her engagement at the nightclub will last five weeks.
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an encounter, conflict, or battle.
We have had two very costly engagements with the enemy this week alone.
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Mechanics. the act or state of interlocking.
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Commerce. engagements, financial obligations.
noun
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a pledge of marriage; betrothal
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an appointment or arrangement, esp for business or social purposes
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the act of engaging or condition of being engaged
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a promise, obligation, or other condition that binds
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a period of employment, esp a limited period
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an action; battle
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(plural) financial obligations
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of engagement
Explanation
If you are a musician or performer and you arrange for a performance, then you have booked an engagement. You might stand in line for tickets when your favorite comedian books an engagement at the local theater. An engagement can also be a general appointment. A previous engagement is the perfect excuse not to go to the opera with your grandmother. An engagement also means an agreement to get married. The news of your engagement might please everyone you know except your fiancé's ex-girlfriend. A military engagement is a hostile meeting of military forces on opposing sides of a conflict.
Vocabulary lists containing engagement
Bud, Not Buddy
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That means even brides without massive social-media followings are promoting companies online in exchange for free booze, engagement party dresses and favors for bridesmaid goody bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Ahmed says another reason the videos perform so well is the level of engagement they generate through likes, comments and shares.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
However, they cautioned that other influences on brain health, including lifestyle and social engagement, could also contribute to the differences they observed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
“But there was zero engagement with the city attorney’s office,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
The unhappiness produced by the knowledge of that engagement had been a little put aside by Elizabeth Martin’s calling at Mrs. Goddard’s a few days afterwards.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Jordan has been a decades-long military and counterterrorism partner with the United States, opening its territory over the years to U.S. and other Western troops in their engagements throughout the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
One new program with $4.9 million of competitive funding available to groups to develop “civilizational self-confidence in Europe” is slated for “research, conferences, cultural engagements, and support for civil society” in wealthy democracies.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Drinks have been logged from engagements, weddings, 12-week pregnancy scans, driving tests and marathons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
On The Late Late Show social media platforms, last season saw 6.8 million engagements, an increase of 53%, and 88.7 million video views, increasing19% on the previous season.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
In each chapter questions of language are intertwined with direct engagements with nature on the one hand, and with broader conceptual and philosophical questions on the other.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
