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Meaning of ENGAGE

Pronunciation:  en'geyj

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [v]  get caught; as of gears
  2. [v]  engage or engross wholly; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely"
  3. [v]  give to, in marriage
  4. [v]  as to represent; of legal counsel; "I'm retaining a lawyer"
  5. [v]  keep engaged; "engaged the gears"
  6. [v]  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?"
  7. [v]  as of aid, help, services, or support
  8. [v]  carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion"
  9. [v]  as of wars, battles, or campaigns; "Napoleon and Hitler waged war against all of Europe"
  10. [v]  engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?"
 
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 Synonyms: absorb, affiance, betroth, charter, engross, enlist, hire, lease, lock, mesh, occupy, operate, plight, prosecute, pursue, rent, retain, take, wage
 
 Antonyms: can, disengage, disengage, dismiss, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, sack, send away, terminate, withdraw
 
 See Also: acquire, act, close, consume, contract, displace, employ, engage, farm out, featherbed, fee, fight, fill, flip, get, hire, interest, involve, job, lock, move, move, offer, politick, procure, provide, put up, rat, recruit, ride, rivet, secure, ship, sign, sign on, sign up, struggle, subcontract, switch, throw, touch, vow

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \En*gage"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Engaged}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Engaging}.] [F. engager; pref. en- (L. in) + gage pledge,
pawn. See {Gage}.]
1. To put under pledge; to pledge; to place under obligations
   to do or forbear doing something, as by a pledge, oath, or
   promise; to bind by contract or promise. ``I to thee
   engaged a prince's word.'' --Shak.
2. To gain for service; to bring in as associate or aid; to
   enlist; as, to engage friends to aid in a cause; to engage
   men for service.
3. To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to
   draw.
         Good nature engages everybody to him. --Addison.
4. To employ the attention and efforts of; to occupy; to
   engross; to draw on.
         Thus shall mankind his guardian care engage. --Pope.
         Taking upon himself the difficult task of engaging
         him in conversation.                  --Hawthorne.
5. To enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to
   conflict.
         A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy.
                                               --Ludlow.
6. (Mach.) To come into gear with; as, the teeth of one
   cogwheel engage those of another, or one part of a clutch
   engages the other part.

  2. \En*gage"\, v. i.
1. To promise or pledge one's self; to enter into an
   obligation; to become bound; to warrant.
         How proper the remedy for the malady, I engage not.
                                               --Fuller.
2. To embark in a business; to take a part; to employ or
   involve one's self; to devote attention and effort; to
   enlist; as, to engage in controversy.
3. To enter into conflict; to join battle; as, the armies
   engaged in a general battle.
4. (Mach.) To be in gear, as two cogwheels working together.
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: absorb, absorb the attention, accept obligation, affiance, agree, agree to, answer for, appeal, approach, arrest, assault, assay, attack, attempt, attend to business, attract, bargain, bargain for, battle, be answerable for, be attractive, be responsible for, be security for, beckon, become engaged, bespeak, betroth, bind, book, brief, bring, busy, captivate, capture, carry, catch, catch up in, chance, charm, clash with, coact, combat, commit, compact, concern, contract, contract an engagement, contract for, cooperate, covenant, decide, determine, devote, dispose, do a deal, do battle, dovetail, draw, draw in, embark on, embarrass, employ, enchant, encounter, engage in, engage in battle, engage the attention, engage the mind, engage the thoughts, engross, engross the mind, engross the thoughts, enlist, enmesh, entangle, enter into, enthrall, essay, exercise, face, fascinate, fetch, fight, get to do, give battle, go bail for, grab, grapple with, grip, guarantee, have an understanding, hire, hold, hold spellbound, hold the interest, hypnotize, imbue, immerse, implicate, incline, indenture, induce, influence, interact, interchange, interest, interest in, interlace, interlock, intermesh, interplay, intertwine, interweave, interwork, invite, involve, involve the interest, join battle, join battle with, join issue, lead, lift a finger, lure, make a deal, make an attempt, make an effort, meet, mesh, mesmerize, mind the store, monopolize, mortise, obligate, obsess, occupy, occupy the attention, offer, partake in, participate in, pass, pass the time, pledge, plight, preengage, preoccupy, procure, promise, prompt, publish the banns, put on, recruit, rent, reserve, retain, secure, shake hands on, sign on, sign up, sign up for, soak, spellbind, spend, spend the time, stipulate, strike, suck into, summon, sway, take into employment, take on, take part in, take the vows, take up, tangle, tantalize, tease, tempt, tickle, tie, tie up, titillate, troth, try, try conclusions, undertake, venture, venture on, venture upon, whet the appetite
 

 

 

 

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