Dictionary.com
definitions

engaged

[ en-geyjd ]
/ ɛnˈgeɪdʒd /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR engaged ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

busy or occupied; involved: deeply engaged in conversation.
pledged to be married; betrothed: an engaged couple.
under engagement; pledged: an engaged contractor.
entered into conflict with: desperately engaged armies.
Mechanics.
  1. interlocked.
  2. (of wheels) in gear with each other.
Architecture. (of a distinct member) built so as to be truly or seemingly attached in part to the structure before which it stands: an engaged column.

RELATED CONTENT

Fiancé vs. FiancéeMuch debate and change surrounds the terms fiancé and fiancée in the recent past. English speakers borrowed these gendered terms from the French in the mid-19th century, importing both the masculine (fiancé) and feminine (fiancée). This term ultimately derives from Latin, fidare literally meaning “to trust,” combined with the suffix -ance, which is used to form nouns from existing verbs. But which form should you …
READ MORE
What Does The “Bee” In Spelling Bee Mean Exactly?As spellers from across the country and around the globe gather to take part in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, let’s try to settle a basic question: Where does the bee in “spelling bee” come from? Bee is derived from the Old English bēn meaning “a prayer, a favor.” By the late eighteenth century, bee had become commonly associated with the British dialect form, been or …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

hooked, committed, preoccupied, working, involved, engrossed, interested, absorbed, employed, occupied, affianced, intended, betrothed, steady, bound, plighted, contracted, pinned, ringed, doing

Nearby words

  1. eng,
  2. eng.,
  3. eng. d.,
  4. engadine,
  5. engage,
  6. engaged tone,
  7. engagement,
  8. engagement calendar,
  9. engagement ring,
  10. engaging

Origin of engaged

First recorded in 1605–15; engage + -ed2
Related formsen·gag·ed·ly [en-gey-jid-lee, -geyjd-] /ɛnˈgeɪ dʒɪd li, -ˈgeɪdʒd-/, adverben·gag·ed·ness, nounun·en·gaged, adjective

engage

[ en-geyj ]
/ ɛnˈgeɪdʒ /

verb (used with object), en·gaged, en·gag·ing.

verb (used without object), en·gaged, en·gag·ing.

Origin of engage

1515–25; < Middle French engager, Old French engagier. See en-1, gage1
ANTONYMS FOR engage
2. discharge. 8. release.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR engage ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsen·gag·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for engaged

British Dictionary definitions for engaged

engaged

/ (ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd) /

adjective

pledged to be married; betrothed
employed, occupied, or busy
architect built against or attached to a wall or similar structurean engaged column
(of a telephone line) already in use
Derived Formsengagedly (ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪdlɪ), adverb

engage

/ (ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ) /

verb (mainly tr)

Derived Formsengager, noun

Word Origin for engage

C15: from Old French engagier, from en- 1 + gage a pledge, see gage 1

engagé

/ French (ɑ̃ɡaʒe) /

adjective

(of a writer or artist, esp a man) morally or politically committed to some ideology
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for engaged

engage

v.

early 15c., "to pledge," from Middle French engagier, from Old French en gage "under pledge," from en "make" + gage "pledge," through Frankish from Proto-Germanic *wadiare "pledge" (see wed).

It shows the common evolution of Germanic -w- to French -g-; cf. Guillaume from Wilhelm). Meaning "attract the attention of" is from 1640s; that of "employ" is from 1640s, from notion of "binding as by a pledge." Specific sense of "promise to marry" is 1610s (implied in engaged).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper