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:
Younger workers report some of the biggest drops in engagement at work over the past five years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
"Fan engagement and coordinated chants have deep roots in Korean music history," explains Um.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Cameron revealed the pair’s engagement in January, uploading a picture to her Instagram account that zoomed in on the engagement ring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“To the extent Schwab can service the advisor who then becomes more productive with advice and asset gathering, that would ultimately benefit the firm through custody, engagement, etc.,”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Colonel Julyan brought out his note-case and gave him the page he had torn from the engagement diary.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Coverage of upcoming presidential engagements, which include the UN General Assembly in New York, could be affected.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be working royals carrying out official engagements now they have returned to the UK, a letter sent on behalf of King Charles says.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Kavukcuoglu has been leading day-to-day decisions on Gemini development since at least last year, with Hassabis devoting much of his time to external engagements, according to the DeepMind employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I had previously booked speaking engagements and appearances.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
