to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons).
He engaged her in conversation.
to secure for aid, employment, use, etc.; hire.
to engage a worker;
to engage a room.
to attract and hold fast.
The novel engaged her attention and interest.
to attract or please.
His good nature engages everyone.
to bind, as by pledge, promise, contract, or oath; make liable.
He engaged himself to repay his debt within a month.
to betroth (usually used in the passive).
They were engaged last week.
to bring (troops) into conflict; enter into conflict with.
Our army engaged the enemy.
Mechanics. to cause (gears or the like) to become interlocked; interlock with.
to attach or secure.
Obsolete. to entangle or involve.
to occupy oneself; become involved.
to engage in business or politics.
to take employment.
She engaged in her mother's business.
to pledge one's word; assume an obligation.
I was unwilling to engage on such terms.
to cross weapons; enter into conflict.
The armies engaged early in the morning.
Mechanics. (of gears or the like) to interlock.
to secure the services of; employ
to secure for use; reserve
engage a room
to involve (a person or his attention) intensely; engross; occupy
to attract (the affection) of (a person)
her innocence engaged him
to draw (somebody) into conversation
(intr) to take part; participate
he engages in many sports
to promise (to do something)
(also intr) military to begin an action with (an enemy)
to bring (a mechanism) into operation
he engaged the clutch
(also intr) to undergo or cause to undergo interlocking, as of the components of a driving mechanism, such as a gear train
machinery to locate (a locking device) in its operative position or to advance (a tool) into a workpiece to commence cutting
First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French engager, Old French engagier; see en- 1 ( def. ), gage 1 ( def. )
First recorded in 1950–55; from French: literally, “engaged”
Engage means to bind, catch, or involve. If your sink is stopped up, engage, or hire, a plumber to fix it. Otherwise the smell of rotten food in the garbage disposal will engage your attention (in a bad way). Engage comes from a French word for pledge. If you agree to marry your sweetheart, you are engaged to marry. If you engage the kid next door to water your plants, she will expect to be paid for it. Engagement is also used to talk about war or conflict. An army engages its enemy in battle, just as you might engage in debate with a traffic cop over whether the light was yellow or red.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since taking over, Warsh has called for policymakers to engage in a "good family fight" when deciding interest rates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Younger audiences often encounter global events through social media before they engage with the event itself. Instead of asking consumers to enter Wimbledon's world, the campaign briefly enters theirs."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Were the reporters asleep at the switch or did they knowingly engage in some sort of deal with the 49ers to not release it?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"When people are under more financial pressure, they may have less time, energy, or willingness to engage in collective action or support policies that are perceived to have economic costs," he says.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
They were more likely to engage in active listening, saying such things as “Go on, tell me more about that,” and they were far more likely to laugh and be funny during the visit.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Though more engagé than restful, Menand’s “The Free World” is comparably diverting, even at the basement level of the weird factoid.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2021
But as with the title novella, the ironies here are deepened by our foreknowledge of the world that actually awaits the poet: laissez-faire where he wants to be engagé, iron-fisted where he would be free.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021
The book also has a strange, beguiling tone, somewhere between an engagé documentary and an archaeology of taste.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 16, 2019
The 32-year-old American illustrator is a cross between a photojournalist chasing hot spots and a 19th-century écrivain engagé who champions causes with art.
From Economist ● Jan. 7, 2016
The environment of the hunters made them rough and cruel, and for many an engagé his three years of servitude must have been a veritable purgatory.
From The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII Century by Haring, Clarence Henry
At the time, the organization was engaged in rehabilitating its image and getting back into Hollywood’s good graces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
However, Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in a televised press conference on Monday that Tehran is not currently engaged in peace talks with Washington.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
To investigate, BBC Sport asked fans how the game can keep existing followers engaged, captivate new supporters and inspire the next generation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
MLB rules stipulate that batters must be alert and engaged with the pitcher when the clock reaches eight seconds or else they will receive a strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Originally, the plan called for equal participation by the French and British, but with so many French troops engaged at Verdun, the British took over the major role on the Somme.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
“It feels like this is the moment when Cracker Barrel should be broadening its base, and engaging in a strategic shift,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
According to the State Armor report, ELI has adhered to internal guidelines that prohibit it from actively engaging in private litigation in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
When it comes to engaging fans when bums are on seats, in stadiums or at home, there is a need to refine communication and marketing strategies.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
As engaging a chronicler of his own life as Valdez is, his lessons in how to be seen and heard — and how to stay that way — feel especially timely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Except for the engaging part, because I didn't exactly know what she meant by core muscles.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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.
