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
And I wanted to engross the actors and the audience in what she’s saying and feeling, so we can be there with her and feel it too.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2022
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
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
And as a movie, A.I. engrosses without quite enthralling.
From Time Magazine Archive
The passion of glory, if you will, engrosses him too entirely for our repose; but glory, at least, inspires nothing which is vile.
From Josephine Makers of History by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
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
It was a day the 15,000 home fans on Centre Court, thousands more on Henman Hill - sorry, Arthur's Seat - and those engrossed across the country will never forget.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
And we, the American people, have become unusually engrossed in it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
He keeps readers engrossed by methodically recounting the specifics of police work, including the business of obtaining warrants and interrogating witnesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
I don’t know how long I was reading; I was so engrossed in the paper that I did not hear any footsteps.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
An engrossing encounter was narrowly won by the British fighter by unanimous decision - 97-93 on two scorecards and 96-94 on the other.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Books from Mac Barnett and Katherine Rundell argue for the value of imaginative, engrossing tales that can engage readers young and old alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
That engrossing yourself in every meticulous step — from measuring out your own leavening agents to bringing your butter and eggs to room temperature — is what qualifies as real baking.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
Jack Thorne, who co-wrote last year’s prize-winning “Adolescence,” returns with another story of fractured childhood with an admirable, engrossing new adaptation of William Golding’s much-taught novel of boy castaways, “The Lord of the Flies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
The guests were not disappointed: they had a very pleasant feast, in fact an engrossing entertainment: rich, abundant, varied, and prolonged.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
