engross
Americanverb (used with object)
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engrosses,
present (3rd person singular)
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engrossed,
past participle, past
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engrossing
present participle
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to occupy completely, as the mind or attention; absorb.
Their discussion engrossed his attention.
She is engrossed in her work.
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to write or copy in a clear, attractive, large script or in a formal manner, as a public document or record.
to engross a deed.
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to acquire the whole of (a commodity), in order to control the market; monopolize.
verb
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to occupy one's attention completely; absorb
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to write or copy (manuscript) in large legible handwriting
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law to write or type out formally (a deed, agreement, or other document) preparatory to execution
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another word for corner
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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engrosssimple
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engrossessimple
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have engrossedperfect
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has engrossedperfect
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am engrossingprogressive
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are engrossingprogressive
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is engrossingprogressive
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have been engrossingperfect progressive
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has been engrossingperfect progressive
Past
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engrossedsimple
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had engrossedperfect
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was engrossingprogressive
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were engrossingprogressive
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had been engrossingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of engross
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English engros(s)en “to gather in large quantities, draft (a will, etc.) in final form,” from Anglo-French engrosser, partly from Medieval Latin ingrossāre “to thicken, write large and thick” ( Latin in- in- 2 + gross(us) “thick” + -āre infinitive suffix); partly from Anglo-French, Middle French en gros “in quantity, wholesale,” from Latin in + grossus; see gross
Explanation
Engross is a verb that means to consume all of your attention or time. Once you engross yourself in the culture of high salaries and unlimited spending accounts, it's hard to go back to cooking at a sandwich shop. Engross first came into English in the 1400s from the Old French word en gros, meaning "in bulk, at wholesale." By the 1700s the word had taken on the meaning of "absorb the whole attention." Immersing yourself fully in something can be good or bad. If you're studying Shakespeare, you want the plays to engross you so you don't lose focus. But if your video games engross you so much that you forget to shower or eat, that's a problem.
Vocabulary lists containing engross
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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:
This discovery of Orage’s significance in Katherine Mansfield’s life and work matters to scholars, but Ms. Kimber misjudges how much it might engross readers of a biography.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Whatever their inspirations, Neuman’s pictures are visual machines that both engross and propel the viewer’s eye.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
Narratives of injury engross us because they point to tangible harms — blindings and burns and broken bones.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
From the high-intensity action set pieces to the quieter moments, like riding on horseback or cooking a meal, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that will absolutely engross you if you let it.
From The Verge ● Dec. 17, 2018
She looks up and smiles into my lens and then pretends to engross herself in her work.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
It engrosses two floors of the Breuer with art of total mastery that also, at every turn, casts doubt on its own achievement.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2020
But the nuclear family more urgently tugging on Caroline’s apron and heart strings — her children and friends — is the one that on this occasion engrosses an audience most satisfyingly.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2017
It engrosses, it stuns, it distracts, and it overwhelms.
From The New Yorker ● May 18, 2015
The cuckoo problem that most deeply engrosses Ornithologist Baker and others is: How does the cuckoo get the egg into the nest?
From Time Magazine Archive
Yes, things I can bear, but not persons—female persons; and there is one person here who is so much more agreeable and entertaining than I am, that she engrosses very naturally almost all his attention.
From Leonora by Maria Edgeworth
Police and safety groups once warned players not to become so engrossed in catching the next Psyduck that they got lost or put themselves in danger.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
And we, the American people, have become unusually engrossed in it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
The two leaders were filmed several times at Evian, including while they appeared engrossed in conversation on a small sofa, with Meloni smiling as they talked.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
"This is all dog content, when will the cat programme be on?" one person engrossed in the service wrote in the chatroom on PetTV's streaming page.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Mr Farraday will usually have just returned from his short walk on the downs at that point, so he is rarely engrossed in his reading or writing as he tends to be in the evenings.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
The safety car confusion was just the final episode in a race that was always engrossing but had ratcheted up several notches in the final 20 laps or so.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
And even those unfamiliar with the tale — the vast majority of attendees, in all likelihood — should find it engrossing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"The surprise of Michael is how well it plays, and what an engrossing middle-of-the-road biopic it is," he said, praising its performances and cinematography.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
“Martin Scorsese All the Films” is filled with such morsels, making for an engrossing book—provided you don’t mind the occasional political asides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
She is less ready to talk about the second wife, the new, engrossing family, stepbrothers and sisters the age of her own little one.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
