engross
Americanverb (used with object)
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engrosses,
present (3rd person singular)
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engrossed,
past participle, past
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engrossing
present participle
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to occupy completely, as the mind or attention; absorb.
Their discussion engrossed his attention.
She is engrossed in her work.
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to write or copy in a clear, attractive, large script or in a formal manner, as a public document or record.
to engross a deed.
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to acquire the whole of (a commodity), in order to control the market; monopolize.
verb
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to occupy one's attention completely; absorb
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to write or copy (manuscript) in large legible handwriting
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law to write or type out formally (a deed, agreement, or other document) preparatory to execution
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another word for corner
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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engrosssimple
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engrossessimple
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have engrossedperfect
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has engrossedperfect
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am engrossingprogressive
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are engrossingprogressive
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is engrossingprogressive
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have been engrossingperfect progressive
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has been engrossingperfect progressive
Past
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engrossedsimple
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had engrossedperfect
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was engrossingprogressive
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were engrossingprogressive
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had been engrossingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of engross
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English engros(s)en “to gather in large quantities, draft (a will, etc.) in final form,” from Anglo-French engrosser, partly from Medieval Latin ingrossāre “to thicken, write large and thick” ( Latin in- in- 2 + gross(us) “thick” + -āre infinitive suffix); partly from Anglo-French, Middle French en gros “in quantity, wholesale,” from Latin in + grossus; see gross
Explanation
Engross is a verb that means to consume all of your attention or time. Once you engross yourself in the culture of high salaries and unlimited spending accounts, it's hard to go back to cooking at a sandwich shop. Engross first came into English in the 1400s from the Old French word en gros, meaning "in bulk, at wholesale." By the 1700s the word had taken on the meaning of "absorb the whole attention." Immersing yourself fully in something can be good or bad. If you're studying Shakespeare, you want the plays to engross you so you don't lose focus. But if your video games engross you so much that you forget to shower or eat, that's a problem.
Vocabulary lists containing engross
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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:
Dance, writes Ms. Footer, “began to engross him.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
And I wanted to engross the actors and the audience in what she’s saying and feeling, so we can be there with her and feel it too.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2022
Whatever their inspirations, Neuman’s pictures are visual machines that both engross and propel the viewer’s eye.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
Narratives of injury engross us because they point to tangible harms — blindings and burns and broken bones.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
She looks up and smiles into my lens and then pretends to engross herself in her work.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
It engrosses two floors of the Breuer with art of total mastery that also, at every turn, casts doubt on its own achievement.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2020
But the nuclear family more urgently tugging on Caroline’s apron and heart strings — her children and friends — is the one that on this occasion engrosses an audience most satisfyingly.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2017
It engrosses, it stuns, it distracts, and it overwhelms.
From The New Yorker ● May 18, 2015
Fragmentary, obscure, scattered in the recriminations of a self-tormented man, the narrative of Poet Robinson's new work engrosses the reader's efforts, distracts him from the tragic beauty of eerie moonlight, wraiths, tortured souls.
From Time Magazine Archive
The way in which she engrosses you quite separates us; when a woman chooses to pay court, it is much worse than attention from a man--she scarcely ever leaves you for a moment.'
From The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II (of 3) A Series of Popular Stories by the Best Danish Authors by Various
For a time, Djokovic was cast as the villain - the disruptor to the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry that so engrossed fans.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
It was a day the 15,000 home fans on Centre Court, thousands more on Henman Hill - sorry, Arthur's Seat - and those engrossed across the country will never forget.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Like millions worldwide, my family and I have been deeply, and in our case, weirdly, engrossed in this year’s games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
In February 1924, the iconic engrossed parchment of the Declaration of Independence was installed for public display at the Library of Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
I was far too engrossed by the outpouring of love I was receiving from my hometown.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
And even those unfamiliar with the tale — the vast majority of attendees, in all likelihood — should find it engrossing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
That engrossing yourself in every meticulous step — from measuring out your own leavening agents to bringing your butter and eggs to room temperature — is what qualifies as real baking.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
Abbott lifted Woakes into the building site, where a hotel is under construction, at mid-wicket, before the last twist of an engrossing day saw the last three wickets fall in the last two overs.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
Northampton were given a stern examination of their Champions Cup credentials by impressive Castres as they came out on top of an engrossing contest to book their place in the quarter-finals.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
Debussy, along with twenty-eight million other visitors, spent an engrossing time wandering around the exotic installations from distant continents.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
