engage
verb
Simple meaning
To take part in something, or to hold someone's attention and interest.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehngayjSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɛnˈɡeɪdʒ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied.
To interact socially.
transitive
To enter into conflict with (an enemy).
intransitive
To enter into battle.
transitive
To arrange to employ or use (a worker, a space, etc.).
To interact contractually.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
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More ways to use engage
- “Make sure the gear is engaged.”verb
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Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.