engaged

[en-geyjd]

adjective

1. busy or occupied; involved.

   deeply engaged in conversation.

2. pledged to be married; betrothed.

   an engaged couple.

3. under engagement; pledged.

   an engaged contractor.

4. entered into conflict with.

   desperately engaged armies.

5. Mechanics.

   1. interlocked.

   2. (of wheels) in gear with each other.

6. 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.

engaged

/ ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪdlɪ, ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd /

adjective

1. pledged to be married; betrothed

2. employed, occupied, or busy

3. architect built against or attached to a wall or similar structure

   an engaged column

4. (of a telephone line) already in use

Other Word Forms

• engagedly adverb
• engagedness noun
• unengaged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of engaged¹

First recorded in 1605–15; engage + -ed ²

Example Sentences

She said she had engaged lawyers in the UK and Bangladesh.

Read more on BBC

The couple became engaged on Valentine's Day last year.

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The problem is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are engaged in a fierce rivalry for influence across the Arab world, including countries such as Yemen and Syria, as well as Sudan.

Read more on BBC

“Insults about my character,” he said, “are unfounded and unproductive…I have operated within the rules, I’ve been transparent about my aims, and I’ve engaged through proper channels to resolve disagreements.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Fung is among those engaged in an increasingly desperate search for missing loved ones, which took him to a victim identification station where he and his wife sifted through photos of the dead.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• absorbed 
• committed 
• employed 
• engrossed 
• interested 
• involved 
• occupied 
• preoccupied 
• working