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• engage
  engage

  verb (used with object)

  to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons).
• engagé
  engagé

  adjective

  choosing to involve oneself in or commit oneself to something.

engage

¹ American  

[en-geyj] / ɛnˈgeɪdʒ /

verb (used with object)

engaged, engaging

1. to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons).

   He engaged her in conversation.

   Synonyms:

   involve, interest, engross, absorb

2. to secure for aid, employment, use, etc.; hire.

   to engage a worker;

   to engage a room.

   Antonyms:

   discharge

3. to attract and hold fast.

   The novel engaged her attention and interest.

4. to attract or please.

   His good nature engages everyone.

5. to bind, as by pledge, promise, contract, or oath; make liable.

   He engaged himself to repay his debt within a month.

6. to betroth (usually used in the passive).

   They were engaged last week.

7. to bring (troops) into conflict; enter into conflict with.

   Our army engaged the enemy.

8. Mechanics. to cause (gears or the like) to become interlocked; interlock with.

   Antonyms:

   release

9. to attach or secure.

10. Obsolete. to entangle or involve.

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verb (used without object)

engaged, engaging

1. to occupy oneself; become involved.

   to engage in business or politics.

2. to take employment.

   She engaged in her mother's business.

3. to pledge one's word; assume an obligation.

   I was unwilling to engage on such terms.

4. to cross weapons; enter into conflict.

   The armies engaged early in the morning.

5. Mechanics. (of gears or the like) to interlock.

engagé ² American  

[ahn-ga-zhey] / ɑ̃ gaˈʒeɪ /

adjective

1. choosing to involve oneself in or commit oneself to something.

   Some of the political activists grew less engagé as the years passed.

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engage ¹ British  

/ ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ /

verb

1. to secure the services of; employ

2. to secure for use; reserve

   engage a room

3. to involve (a person or his attention) intensely; engross; occupy

4. to attract (the affection) of (a person)

   her innocence engaged him

5. to draw (somebody) into conversation

6. (intr) to take part; participate

   he engages in many sports

7. to promise (to do something)

8. (also intr) military to begin an action with (an enemy)

9. to bring (a mechanism) into operation

   he engaged the clutch

10. (also intr) to undergo or cause to undergo interlocking, as of the components of a driving mechanism, such as a gear train

11. machinery to locate (a locking device) in its operative position or to advance (a tool) into a workpiece to commence cutting

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engagé ² British  

/ ɑ̃ɡaʒe /

adjective

1. (of a writer or artist, esp a man) morally or politically committed to some ideology

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Other Word Forms

• engager
  noun

Etymology

Origin of engage¹

First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French engager, Old French engagier; see en- ¹ ( def. ), gage ¹ ( def. )

Origin of engagé²

First recorded in 1950–55; from French: literally, “engaged”

Explanation

Engage means to bind, catch, or involve. If your sink is stopped up, engage, or hire, a plumber to fix it. Otherwise the smell of rotten food in the garbage disposal will engage your attention (in a bad way). Engage comes from a French word for pledge. If you agree to marry your sweetheart, you are engaged to marry. If you engage the kid next door to water your plants, she will expect to be paid for it. Engagement is also used to talk about war or conflict. An army engages its enemy in battle, just as you might engage in debate with a traffic cop over whether the light was yellow or red.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

engage engagé engaged engaging

The states suing Meta claimed it used its platforms "to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens," and ignored the damage they did to the "mental and physical wellbeing of America's youth".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

In the boldest move yet globally to curb the rise of fast fashion, France is set to impose per-item fees on Shein, Temu and other platforms deemed by the legislation to engage in "ultra-fast fashion".

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

The trust said it would engage with Beynon to "further understand" the number of horses that could remain as part of the commoner's rights to graze on the land.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit chartered by Congress to engage the public in protecting historic sites, says the ballroom project violates federal law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Penelope trusted that the excitement onstage would be enough to engage their attention until snacks could be provided, after the show.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Though more engagé than restful, Menand’s “The Free World” is comparably diverting, even at the basement level of the weird factoid.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2021

But as with the title novella, the ironies here are deepened by our foreknowledge of the world that actually awaits the poet: laissez-faire where he wants to be engagé, iron-fisted where he would be free.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021

The book also has a strange, beguiling tone, somewhere between an engagé documentary and an archaeology of taste.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 16, 2019

The 32-year-old American illustrator is a cross between a photojournalist chasing hot spots and a 19th-century écrivain engagé who champions causes with art.

From Economist ● Jan. 7, 2016

For the moment Emma was unable to accommodate him, as she was engagé with her mother; but as soon as she was free she would consider the matter, and Walter would probably be favored.

From Walter Pieterse A Story of Holland by Multatuli

If she engaged with culture first, then she could ultimately impact her listeners’ political leanings.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

Egyptians in antiquity engaged in sword combat for warfare, but also for competition — Romans utilized swords in gladiator events, rituals and duels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

But I feel 65 mentally, since my writing, podcasting, volunteering and grandparenting keep me engaged and help me feel younger.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

The two countries were also engaged in a mandatory review of an existing North American free trade agreement, known as USMCA, with Mexico.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Following the defeat at the Chemin des Dames, French soldiers engaged in what historians have called “the mutinies of 1917.”

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

It characterizes the lower court as engaging in “a string of speculation” about what the federal agencies might do when, and how that speculation illustrates that the state’s claims aren’t ripe for review.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

All of these things come from a good place, but I think it’s worth knowing that it can be a way of engaging too.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Another, Elizabeth Richards, a former chef who had grown up in London and New York, began engaging with the company in her late 20s after attending the 120th anniversary celebration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

He accused them of directly engaging "in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

His beaming grin was that of a happy child who wanted to be liked, or at least to be engaging.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• arrest
• catch
• employ
• fascinate
• immerse
• interest
• involve
• join
• participate
• preoccupy
• undertake