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 some ways, the engagement may seem like a departure from Disney’s reputation for being fiercely protective of its brand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
By working with creators, the entertainment conglomerate is trying to build on that loyalty and boost engagement with its various characters and products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
These are the norms for social engagement on college campuses today—from sober monitors and consent ambassadors, to strict requirements and paperwork to throw campus shindigs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Across the study sites, patients who had not responded to treatment after two years showed a lack of stimulation engagement with the left cingulum bundle.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Headlines cluster and flash across the parchment, announcing Princess Sophia's upcoming engagement, and the latest imperial beauty laws to be passed by the queen and the Beauty Minister.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
At “Life Burns Faster,” a series of two-night engagements that stretches into March next year, they stayed fleshy and ferocious as a band beneath the digital carnage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Coverage of upcoming presidential engagements, which include the UN General Assembly in New York, could be affected.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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
Lacking any pressing engagements, I picked up the clay soldier and walked over.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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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.
