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:
"It's a sovereign decision. The authorities have a debt treatment plan that will allow us to move forward in our engagement", Martin said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
They added that prediction markets have presented another significant opportunity for engagement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Its sweeping vistas of the region’s hills, mountains and rivers make visible Church’s lifelong engagement with nature; the landscape design of its expansive 250 acres was also his.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
"Japan remains deeply integrated into Chinese manufacturing networks, while India's engagement is more uneven but still significant in key sectors," writes Pratnashree Basu from the Observer Research Foundation for the online portal Scroll, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
One hand carried a gigantic bag, the kind that holds passports, engagement diaries, and bridge scores, while the other hand toyed with that inevitable lorgnette, the enemy to other people’s privacy.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Clients trusted him with their special moments: engagements, weddings and anniversaries, or when they simply wished to treat themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
In his new role, Hassabis will focus on external engagements and big-picture topics around AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
"These incidents have disrupted surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, treatment and community engagements showing how attacks can undermine not only health services, but also the capacity to detect and contain outbreaks," said Musani.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sir Chris has been visiting Northern Ireland on Friday for a series of engagements, which included meeting the political parties at Hillsborough Castle.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
In that courtyard we hosted countless weddings, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, and every other kind of party you could imagine.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
