engage
engage is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 9 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.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.
- 2.To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to draw. Good nature engages everybody to him. Addison.
- 3.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.
- 4.To enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to conflict. A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy. Ludlow.
- 5.(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.
- 6.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.
- 7.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.
- 8.To enter into conflict; to join battle; as, the armies engaged in a general battle.
- 9.(Mach.) To be in gear, as two cogwheels working together.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- about
- activity
- adventure
- agent
- agree
- agreement
- and
- anvil
- apprentice
- attest
- bargain
- barter
- begin
- beginning
- betake
- bond
- break
- broach
- business
- candle
- cartel
- caveat
- charter
- clench
- close
- come
- compact
- complete
- completion
- compromise
- conclude
- concordat
- confirm
- contract
- convention
- conventional
- covenant
- deal
- determination
- devote
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is engage.
- What is 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 called?
- What is to gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to draw. Good nature engages everybody to him. Addison called?
- What is to enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to conflict. A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy. Ludlow called?
- What is 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 called?
- What is 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 called?
- What is 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 called?
- What is to enter into conflict; to join battle; as, the armies engaged in a general battle called?
- What is to be in gear, as two cogwheels working together called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/engage
- Steward: Jason Burns