engage
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en·gage
(ĕn-gāj′)v. en·gaged, en·gag·ing, en·gag·es
v.tr.
1. To obtain or contract for the services of; employ: engage a carpenter.
2. To arrange for the use of; reserve: engage a room. See Synonyms at book1.
3. To pledge or promise, especially to marry: was engaged to a famous actor.
4. To attract and hold the attention of; engross: a hobby that engaged her for hours at a time.
5. To win over or attract: His smile engages everyone he meets.
6. To draw into; involve: engage a shy person in conversation.
7. To require the use of; occupy: Studying engages most of my time.
8. To enter or bring into conflict with: We have engaged the enemy.
9. To interlock or cause to interlock; mesh: engage the automobile's clutch.
10. To give or take as security.
v.intr.
1. To involve oneself or become occupied; participate: engage in conversation.
2. To assume an obligation; agree.
3. To enter into conflict or battle: The armies engaged at dawn.
4. To become meshed or interlocked: The gears engaged.
[Middle English engagen, to pledge something as security for repayment of debt, from Old French engagier : en-, in; see en-1 + gage, pledge, of Germanic origin.]
en·gag′er n.
en·ga·gé
(ĕn′gä-zhā′)adj.
Actively committed, as to a political cause.
[French, past participle of engager, to engage, from Old French engagier, to pledge; see engage.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
engage
(ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ)vb (mainly tr)
1. to secure the services of; employ
2. to secure for use; reserve: engage a room.
3. to involve (a person or his or her attention) intensely; engross; occupy
4. to attract (the affection) of (a person): her innocence engaged him.
5. to draw (somebody) into conversation
6. (intr) to take part; participate: he engages in many sports.
7. to promise (to do something)
8. (Military) (also intr) military to begin an action with (an enemy)
9. (Mechanical Engineering) to bring (a mechanism) into operation: he engaged the clutch.
10. (Mechanical Engineering) (also intr) to undergo or cause to undergo interlocking, as of the components of a driving mechanism, such as a gear train
11. (Mechanical Engineering) machinery to locate (a locking device) in its operative position or to advance (a tool) into a workpiece to commence cutting
[C15: from Old French engagier, from en-1 + gage a pledge, see gage1]
enˈgager n
engagé
(ɑ̃ɡaʒe)adj
(Art Terms) (of a writer or artist, esp a man) morally or politically committed to some ideology
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
en•gage
(ɛnˈgeɪdʒ)v. -gaged, -gag•ing. v.t.
1. to occupy the attention or efforts of; involve: He engaged her in conversation.
2. to secure for aid, employment, or use; hire.
3. to attract and hold fast: The book engaged my attention.
4. to attract or please.
5. to bind, as by a pledge or promise; make liable.
6. to bind by a pledge to marry; betroth (usu. used in the passive).
7. to enter into conflict with.
8. to cause (gears or the like) to become interlocked; interlock with.
9. to attach or secure.
v.i. 10. to occupy oneself; become involved: to engage in politics.
11. to take employment.
12. to assume an obligation.
13. to enter into conflict.
14. (of gears) to interlock.
[1515–25; < Middle French engager, Old French engagier]
en•gag′er, n.
en•ga•gé
(Fr. ɑ̃ gaˈʒeɪ)adj.
involved in or committed to something, as a political cause.
[1950–55; < French: literally, engaged]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
engage
1. In air defense, a fire control order used to direct or authorize units and/or weapon systems to fire on a designated target. See also cease engagement; hold fire.
2. (DOD only) To bring the enemy under fire.
2. (DOD only) To bring the enemy under fire.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
engage
Past participle: engaged
Gerund: engaging
| Imperative |
|---|
| engage |
| engage |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | engage - carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion" act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" close - engage at close quarters; "close with the enemy" politick - engage in political activities; "This colleague is always politicking" |
| 2. | engage - consume all of one's attention or time; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" involve - occupy or engage the interest of; "His story completely involved me during the entire afternoon" consume - engage fully; "The effort to pass the exam consumed all his energy" rivet - hold (someone's attention); "The discovery of the skull riveted the paleontologists" interest - excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of | |
| 3. | engage - engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?" featherbed - hire more workers than are necessary fill - appoint someone to (a position or a job) engage - ask to represent; of legal counsel; "I'm retaining a lawyer" ship - hire for work on a ship sign on, sign up, contract, sign - engage by written agreement; "They signed two new pitchers for the next season" rat - employ scabs or strike breakers in | |
| 4. | engage - ask to represent; of legal counsel; "I'm retaining a lawyer" | |
| 5. |  engage - give to in marriage vow - make a vow; promise; "He vowed never to drink alcohol again" | |
| 6. | engage - get caught; "make sure the gear is engaged" lock - become rigid or immoveable; "The therapist noticed that the patient's knees tended to lock in this exercise" touch - make physical contact with, come in contact with; "Touch the stone for good luck"; "She never touched her husband" disengage - become free; "in neutral, the gears disengage" | |
| 7. |  engage - carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns); "Napoleon and Hitler waged war against all of Europe" | |
| 8. | engage - hire for work or assistance; "engage aid, help, services, or support" procure, secure - get by special effort; "He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed" recruit - seek to employ; "The lab director recruited an able crew of assistants" | |
| 9. | engage - engage for service under a term of contract; "We took an apartment on a quiet street"; "Let's rent a car"; "Shall we take a guide in Rome?" | |
| 10. | engage - keep engaged; "engaged the gears" flip, switch, throw - cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation; "switch on the light"; "throw the lever" ride - keep partially engaged by slightly depressing a pedal with the foot; "Don't ride the clutch!" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
engage
verb
1. (with in) participate in, join in, take part in, undertake, practise, embark on, enter into, become involved in, set about, partake of They continue to engage in terrorist activities.
2. captivate, win, draw, catch, arrest, fix, attract, capture, charm, attach, fascinate, enchant, allure, enamour He engaged us with tales of his adventures.
3. occupy, involve, draw, busy, grip, absorb, tie up, preoccupy, immerse, engross He tried to engage me in conversation.
4. employ, commission, appoint, take on, hire, retain, recruit, enlist, enrol, put on the payroll We have been able to engage some staff.
employ remove, dismiss, sack (informal), fire (informal), axe (informal), discharge, oust, lay off, give notice to, give someone his or her P45 (informal)
employ remove, dismiss, sack (informal), fire (informal), axe (informal), discharge, oust, lay off, give notice to, give someone his or her P45 (informal)
5. book, reserve, secure, hire, rent, charter, lease, prearrange He managed to engage a room for the night.
6. interlock, join, interact, mesh, interconnect, dovetail Press the lever until you hear the catch engage.
7. set going, apply, trigger, activate, switch on, energize, bring into operation Show me how to engage the four-wheel drive.
8. (Military) begin battle with, attack, take on, encounter, combat, fall on, battle with, meet, fight with, assail, face off (slang), wage war on, join battle with, give battle to, come to close quarters with They could engage the enemy beyond the range of the torpedoes.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
engage
verb5. To involve (someone) in an activity:
6. To involve oneself in (an activity):
Idiom: take part.
8. To cause to be busy or in use:
10. To come or bring together and interlock:
mesh.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَتَعاقَد مع ، يَحْجِزيَشْتَبِكيَشَغِّليُشَغِّليُشْغِل إنْتِباه
napadnout
angribeansætteengagerefangelægge beslag på
kytkeäpalkata
leköt
í bardagapantaráîasetja í gírtaka upp tíma/athygli
įdarbinimasįdarbintisimpatiškassusižiedavęs
aizrunātatklāt uguniiedarbinātiepriekš pasūtītpieņemt darbā
rezervovať si
zaplesti se
engage
[ɪnˈgeɪdʒ]A. VT
1. (= hire) [+ servant, lawyer, worker] → contratar
B. VI
3. (Mech) → engranar (with con)
engagé
[ɑ̃ːŋgæˈʒeɪ] ADJ [writer, artist] → comprometidoCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
engage
[ɪnˈgeɪdʒ] vt
(= capture the attention of) [+ person, audience, reader] → intéresser
(= talk to) to engage sb in conversation → engager la conversation avec qn
(MILITARY) [+ enemy] → engager le combat avec
vi
[mechanism] → s'enclencher
to engage in commerce → exercer une activité commerciale
to engage in sexual intercourse → avoir des rapports sexuels
engage in
vt fus (= take part in) [+ activity] → se livrer à; [+ study, research] → prendre part à; [+ debate, dialogue] → s'engager dansto engage in commerce → exercer une activité commerciale
to engage in sexual intercourse → avoir des rapports sexuels
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
engage
vt
servant, workers → anstellen, einstellen; singer, performer → engagieren; lawyer → sich (dat) → nehmen; to engage the services of somebody → jdn anstellen/engagieren; of lawyer → sich (dat) → jdn nehmen
attention, interest → in Anspruch nehmen; to engage somebody in conversation → jdn in ein Gespräch verwickeln
to engage oneself to do something (form) → sich verpflichten, etw zu tun
(Tech) gear wheels → ineinandergreifen lassen; to engage a gear (Aut) → einen Gang einlegen; to engage the clutch → (ein)kuppeln; to engage four-wheel drive → den Allradantrieb zuschalten
vi
(form, = promise) → sich verpflichten (to do zu tun)
(gear wheels) → ineinandergreifen; (clutch) → fassen
to engage in something → sich an etw (dat) → beteiligen; to engage in conversation → sich unterhalten; to engage in politics → sich politisch betätigen; to engage with somebody/something → mit jdm/etw in Beziehung treten; to engage in competition with somebody → in Wettbewerb mit jdm treten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
engage
[ɪnˈgeɪdʒ]1. vt (occupy, attention, interest) → assorbire; (attract, attention) → attrarre; (hire, servant, worker) → assumere; (actor) → ingaggiare; (lawyer) → incaricare; (reserve, room) → prenotare (Mil) (enemy) → attaccare
to engage to do sth → impegnarsi a fare qc
to engage sb in conversation → attaccare conversazione con qn
to engage gear/the clutch (Tech) → innestare la marcia/la frizione
to engage to do sth → impegnarsi a fare qc
to engage sb in conversation → attaccare conversazione con qn
to engage gear/the clutch (Tech) → innestare la marcia/la frizione
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
engage
(inˈgeidʒ) verb1. to begin to employ (a workman etc). He engaged him as his assistant.
2. to book; to reserve. He has engaged an entertainer for the children's party.
3. to take hold of or hold fast; to occupy. to engage someone's attention.
4. to join battle with. The two armies were fiercely engaged.
5. to (cause part of a machine etc to) fit into and lock with another part. The driver engaged second gear.
enˈgaged adjective1. bound by promise (especially to marry). She became engaged to John.
2. (with in) employed or occupied. She is engaged in social work.
3. busy; not free; occupied. Please come if you are not already engaged for that evening; The room / telephone line is engaged.
enˈgagement nounthe engagement of three new assistants; When shall we announce our engagement?; Have you any engagements tomorrow?; a naval engagement (= battle); (also adjective) an engagement ring.
enˈgaging adjective attractive. an engaging smile.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
engage
vt. encajar, ajustar, conectar; [in a relationship] comprometerse.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012