engineer
Americannoun
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engineers
plural
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a person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering.
a mechanical engineer; a civil engineer.
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a person who operates or is in charge of an engine.
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Also called locomotive engineer. Railroads. a person who operates or is in charge of a locomotive.
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a member of an army, navy, or air force specially trained in engineering work.
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Digital Technology. a person skilled in the design and programming of computer systems.
a software engineer;
a web engineer.
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a skillful manager.
a political engineer.
verb (used with object)
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engineers,
present (3rd person singular)
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engineered,
past participle, past
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engineering
present participle
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to plan, construct, or manage as an engineer.
He's engineered several big industrial projects.
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to design or create using the techniques or methods of engineering.
The motor has been engineered to run noiselessly.
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to arrange, manage, or carry through by skillful or artful contrivance.
He certainly engineered the election campaign beautifully.
noun
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a person trained in any branch of the profession of engineering
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the originator or manager of a situation, system, etc
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a mechanic; person who repairs or services machines
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the driver of a railway locomotive
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an officer responsible for a ship's engines
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Informal name: sapper. a member of the armed forces, esp the army, trained in engineering and construction work
verb
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to originate, cause, or plan in a clever or devious manner
he engineered the minister's downfall
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to design, plan, or construct as a professional engineer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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engineersimple
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engineerssimple
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have engineeredperfect
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has engineeredperfect
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am engineeringprogressive
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are engineeringprogressive
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is engineeringprogressive
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have been engineeringperfect progressive
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has been engineeringperfect progressive
Past
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engineeredsimple
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had engineeredperfect
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was engineeringprogressive
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were engineeringprogressive
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had been engineeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of engineer
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; engine + -eer; replacing Middle English engin(e)our, from Anglo-French engineor, Old French engigneor, from Medieval Latin ingeniātor, from ingeniā(re) “to design, devise” (derivative of ingenium “nature, innate quality, mental power, clever invention”; engine ) + Latin -tor -tor
Explanation
An engineer is someone who possesses the knowledge or expertise to create and implement plans or build machines. Even if you're not an engineer, when you engineer you make plans and solve problems. An interesting part of the word engineer is the suffix -eer, which turns a word into one that means someone who does something indicated by the base it is affixed to — a mountaineer climbs mountains, an auctioneer presides at auctions, an engineer designs, coming from the Old French engin, which means "skill or cleverness." If you want to become an engineer, you'll have to study all kinds of mechanical systems, not just engines.
Vocabulary lists containing engineer
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 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:
The FBI is exploring adding an economic espionage charge against former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, a law-enforcement official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
A Michigan man and former studio engineer is facing the music for his theft of rapper Eminem’s unreleased works.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Nagarajan, a chemical engineer, visited the park with his child and emailed the council saying he wanted to test something.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Kashif Mehmood, a fossil-fuel engineer who voted for incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in 2022, said he will now be voting Democratic across the ballot in large part because of inflation.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026
By 1890, twenty-five-year-old Rondon was a graduate of the Superior War College and an army engineer.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
Tell that to a generation of mathematicians and computer engineers, who may find themselves threatened.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
In electronics, the technology could help engineers direct heat away from sensitive components, improve thermal management in microchips, and protect devices operating under demanding conditions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Six Flags is also hiring independent engineers and ride-inspection professionals to review safety procedures across all its rides, Reilly said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The National Grid said engineers had restored power to more than 60,000 properties since Storm Austen began - but more than 10,000 homes were still without power on Friday evening.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Ten women made it past the application process—five physicians, three engineers, a scientist, and a test pilot with an engineering degree.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
That comes through magnificently on “Fudge,” which was modestly engineered compared to 2024’s “Small Changes.”
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The researchers examined human tissue samples, studied human immune cells in the laboratory, and conducted experiments using genetically engineered mice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Karman, for example, supplies highly engineered systems for missiles, interceptors, drones and space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
This finding could be especially important for developing treatments that require large, reliable supplies of genetically engineered immune cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
She also recommended a haircut, but I would only go so far as a French roll, engineered with the help of some big rollers and hair-setting gel and a lot of bobby pins.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The deep reserves of skill, ingenuity and engineering prowess among the 122 people on board are obvious.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
She is now a sophomore engineering student and has rented a house near campus with four friends.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
As photonic technology becomes smaller and more advanced, the convolutional spectrometer provides a promising example of how mathematical insights and practical engineering can make sophisticated scientific instruments simpler, cheaper, and more accessible.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Lacking sorcery or some other way to conjure up the ideal lover, we’re left with engineering.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Sanjeev was organizing his engineering texts from MIT in alphabetical order on a bookshelf, though it had been several years since he had needed to consult any of them.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
