engage
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to take part in something or to get someone's interest and attention.
to occupy or attract someone's interest or attention; to involve oneself in a task or conversation.
Simple“The teacher tried to engage the students in a discussion about the book.”
In context“The lecturer struggled to engage the audience, as the technical complexity of the subject matter exceeded the listeners' prior knowledge.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'with' when describing interaction.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to hire someone to do a job or provide a service.
to arrange to employ or use someone's services, typically in a professional or formal context.
Simple“The company decided to engage a lawyer to review the new contract.”
In context“The board of directors voted to engage a specialist consultancy firm to oversee the restructuring of the international divisions.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to fit parts of a machine together so that they move.
to cause parts of a mechanism to fit together or mesh, allowing power to be transmitted.
Simple“You need to engage the clutch before you can change gears.”
In context“The safety mechanism will only engage once the primary sensors confirm that the protective housing is fully sealed.”
UsageCan be used transitively (engage the gear) or intransitively (the gear engages).
Antonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to start a fight or battle with an enemy.
to enter into conflict or combat with an opposing force.
Simple“The soldiers were ordered not to engage the enemy until they had backup.”
In context“The naval commander was hesitant to engage the fleet, fearing that the narrow strait would limit his ships' ability to manoeuvre.”
Usage engage in · individual engage
“It is the main way in which people engage with text, photos and videos they see online.”
“After receiving no response to warnings, Qatari forces engaged the targets.”
From Middle English engagen, from Old French engagier (“to pledge, engage”), from Frankish anwadjōn (“to pledge”), from Proto-Germanic an-, andi- + Proto-Germanic wadjōną (“to pledge, secure”), from Proto-Germanic wadją (“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European wedʰ- (“to pledge, redeem a pledge; guarantee, bail”), equivalent to en- + gage. Cognate with Old English anwedd (“pledge, security”), Old English weddian (“to engage, covenant, undertake”), German wetten (“to bet, wager”), Icelandic veðja (“to wager”). More at wed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.