- 1 [transitive] engage something (formal) to succeed in attracting and keeping somebody’s attention and interest It is a movie that engages both the mind and the eye. Their pleas failed to engage any sympathy. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbactively, directly, fully, … verb + engagefail to, refuse to prepositionwith adverbactively, constructively, openly, … verb + engage inattempt to, seek to, try to, … See full entry
- 2 [transitive] engage somebody (as something) | engage something | engage somebody to do something (formal) to employ somebody to do a particular job He is currently engaged as a consultant. We will have to engage the services of a translator.
- 3[intransitive] engage (with something/somebody) to become involved with and try to understand something/somebody She has the ability to engage with young minds. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbactively, directly, fully, … verb + engagefail to, refuse to prepositionwith adverbactively, constructively, openly, … verb + engage inattempt to, seek to, try to, … See full entry
- 4[transitive, intransitive] engage (somebody) (formal) to begin fighting with somebody to engage the enemy See related entries: Conflict
- 5[intransitive, transitive] when a part of a machine engages, or when you engage it, it fits together with another part of the machine and the machine begins to work The cogwheels are not engaging. engage with something One cogwheel engages with the next. engage something Engage the clutch before selecting a gear. opposite disengage Word Originlate Middle English (formerly also as ingage): from French engager, ultimately from the base of gage, ‘a pledge or deposit offered as a guarantee’. The word originally meant ‘to pawn or pledge something’, later ‘pledge oneself (to do something)’, hence ‘enter into a contract’ (mid 16th cent.), ‘involve oneself in an activity’, ‘enter into combat’ (mid 17th cent.), giving rise to the notion ‘involve someone or something else’.Extra examples Our contributors are actively engaging with tradition. The army was regularly engaged in combat. The party is attempting to engage young voters politically. They constructively engage critics in debates. We acknowledge the need to engage directly with these problems. people who actively engage in shaping the world they live in He ordered his men to engage (with) the enemy. It’s a movie that engages both the mind and the eye. Phrasal Verbsengage in
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BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they engage BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ//
he / she / it engages BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪz//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪz//
past simple engaged BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd//
past participle engaged BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd//
-ing form engaging BrE BrE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ//
ConflictCheck pronunciation: engage
