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Verb: engage  en'geyj or in'geyj
  1. Carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
    "They engaged in a discussion";
    - prosecute, pursue
     
  2. Consume all of one's attention or time
    "Her interest in butterflies engages her completely";
    - absorb, engross, occupy
     
  3. Hire for work or assistance
    "engage aid, help, services, or support";
    - enlist
     
  4. Start in a job or pay to do a particular piece of work
    "They engaged two new secretaries in the department";
    - hire, employ, take on
     
  5. Engage for service under a term of contract
    "The company engaged three new employees";
    - lease, rent, hire, charter, take
     
  6. Ask to represent; of legal counsel
    "The company engaged a top law firm to handle the merger"
     
  7. Carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)
    "The nations engaged in a lengthy war";
    - wage
     
  8. Give to in marriage
    "Her parents engaged her to the neighbouring kingdom's prince";
    - betroth [archaic], affiance [literary], plight [archaic]
     
  9. Get caught
    "make sure the gear is engaged"
     
  10. Keep engaged
    "engaged the gears";
    - mesh, lock, operate
     
  11. (military) start armed combat with
    "The troops engaged the enemy at dawn"

Derived forms: engaged, engaging, engages

Type of: acquire, act, displace, fight, get, interest, move, procure, secure, struggle, touch, vow

Antonym: disengage

Encyclopedia: Engage