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 networks associated with emotion, cortisol produced more consistent patterns of activity and increased their engagement.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria is leaving the company amid slowing growth and falling customer engagement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The “Harley Quinn” animated series star confirmed her relationship with Pelphrey in 2022, and the couple announced their engagement in 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Some analysts see a glimmer of hope in the recent thaw between India and China, marked by high-level political engagement and moves to revive cross-border trade through Himalayan routes.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Once the engagement is public, Theo confides in his sister Lies that he doesn’t know how happy his friend will be with Annie.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
The delay had consequences, he warned: major artists book engagements years in advance, limiting what organizers can now arrange.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The room where the device was found was regularly used to hold meetings to discuss "highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information" as well as OpenAI's "government engagements and commercial relationships", the complaint stated.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
But he is also training cybersecurity professionals to spot scams and seeking paid speaking engagements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
“She had marked down the engagements as I said she would. Here they are on the date she died.”
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
