engaged
Americanadjective
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busy or occupied; involved.
deeply engaged in conversation.
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pledged to be married; betrothed.
an engaged couple.
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under engagement; pledged.
an engaged contractor.
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entered into conflict with.
desperately engaged armies.
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Mechanics.
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(of wheels) in gear with each other.
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Architecture. (of a distinct member) built so as to be truly or seemingly attached in part to the structure before which it stands.
an engaged column.
adjective
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pledged to be married; betrothed
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employed, occupied, or busy
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architect built against or attached to a wall or similar structure
an engaged column
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(of a telephone line) already in use
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of engaged
Explanation
Engaged means fully occupied or having your full attention. An engaged reader really focuses on the words and maybe even jots down questions or comments in the pages' margins. If you're busy or involved with something, you're engaged in it. A formal reply to an invitation to lunch might be, "I'm sorry, I'm otherwise engaged" — meaning you already have plans. Engaged often describes people who have committed to getting married. You can see this meaning in the word's origin, the French word engagier, meaning "to pledge."
Vocabulary lists containing engaged
Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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"What Is News?" and "How to Detect Bias in the News"
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The Great Gilly Hopkins
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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.
Average daily active users rose 10% to 123 million, while hours engaged ticked up 5% to 29 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The fund is still viewed as being engaged.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
And crucially, they do so in the presence of others—before audiences who are themselves engaged in the rare act of collective attention.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
“We engaged Joy with this and we know there’s value there,” Gaetjens explained.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Therefore I propose that someone with a keen sense of the theatrical, a talent for mimicry and improvising dialogue—a playwright, perhaps?—be engaged as an understudy to the ghost, as it were.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
