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:
In July, Netflix said it would publish viewership data less frequently — raising bigger concerns about engagement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The meeting will also give Trump the chance to project statesmanship while hosting a high-stakes diplomatic engagement at the White House -- Xi's first visit to the US capital in 11 years.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
"There's a lot of citizen engagement," says Minna Alander, an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies think tank.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Times’ reporting on restraining orders was undertaken as part of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s Domestic Violence Impact Reporting Fund and engagement initiative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Mr. Elton’s engagement had been the cure of the agitation of meeting Mr. Martin.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Burnham cancelled his engagements earlier this week after the death of father, Roy, who had Alzheimer's disease.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
During his last parole hearing in 2024, panel members heavily questioned Davis’ desire to write a memoir if released and go on a series of speaking engagements, which he referred to as a “redemption tour.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Lord Lieutenants, who are the monarch's local representatives, and government staff are often involved in royal visits and engagements.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The group will also include other experts from Accenture who will help scale FDE solutions and a small group of Google Cloud FDEs for limited engagements with top-tier customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Gerald and Lydia, busy with their own engagements, keep out of the way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
