engage

See also engagé

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• ingage (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French engagier, from Old French engager (“to pledge, engage”), from Old Frankish *anwadjōn (“to pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *an-, *andi- + Proto-Germanic *wadjōną (“to pledge, secure”), from Proto-Germanic *wadjō (“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wadʰ- (“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.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/, /ɛnˈɡeɪdʒ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪdʒ

Verb

engage (third-person singular simple present engages, present participle engaging, simple past and past participle engaged)

1. (transitive) To engross or hold the attention of (someone); to keep busy or occupied.
2. (transitive) To draw into conversation.
3. (transitive) To attract, to please; (archaic) to fascinate or win over (someone).
4. (transitive) To enter into conflict with (an enemy).
5. (intransitive) To enter into battle.
6. (transitive) To arrange to employ or use (a worker, a space, etc).
   • 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, The Affair at the Novelty Theatre^[1]:

     For this scene, a large number of supers are engaged, and in order to further swell the crowd, practically all the available stage hands have to ‘walk on’ dressed in various coloured dominoes, and all wearing masks.

7. To mesh or interlock (of machinery, especially a clutch).

   Whenever I engage the clutch, the car stalls out.

8. (intransitive) To enter into (an activity), to participate (construed with in).
9. (intransitive) To guarantee or promise (to do something).
10. (transitive) To bind through legal or moral obligation (to do something, especially to marry) (usually in passive).

    They were engaged last month! They're planning to have the wedding next year.

11. (obsolete, transitive) To pledge, pawn (one's property); to put (something) at risk or on the line; to mortgage (houses, land).
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.vii:

      Thou that doest liue in later times, must wage / Thy workes for wealth, and life for gold engage.

Antonyms

• (to cause to mesh or interlock): disengage

Translations

to engross or hold the attention of someone

• Bulgarian: ангажирам (bg) (angažiram)

• Finnish: pitää yllä jonkun mielenkiintoa

to enter into conflict with (an enemy)

• Czech: napadnout (cs)

• Finnish: hyökätä, ryhtyä taisteluun

to employ or obtain the services of someone

• Bulgarian: наемам (bg) (naemam)
• Finnish: palkata (fi)

• French: engager (fr)
• Scottish Gaelic: fastaidh (gd)

to mesh or interlock

• Bulgarian: зацепвам (bg) (zacepvam)
• Finnish: kytkeä (fi)

• French: embrayer (fr)
• Spanish: embragar (es)

to bind through legal or moral obligation

• Bulgarian: задължавам (bg) (zadǎlžavam)
• Dutch: verloven (nl)

• Finnish: sitoutua (fi), lupautua (fi), mennä kihloihin (fi)

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑ̃ɡaʒ/

Verb

engage

1. first-person singular present indicative of engager
2. third-person singular present indicative of engager
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of engager
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of engager
5. second-person singular imperative of engager

Anagrams

• gagnée