Meaning of engage In English

• 0 to employ someone:

  • [ + to infinitive ] I have engaged a secretary to deal with all my paperwork.

  • We're engaging the services of a professional administrator.

• 1 to interest someone in something and keep them thinking about it:

  • The debate about food safety has engaged the whole nation.

  • If a book doesn't engage my interest in the first few pages, I don't usually continue reading it.

  • She's an intelligent child but in class she doesn't really engage.

  • Just stay out of his way as much as possible, and don't engage with him.

• 2 to make one part of a machine fit into and move together with another part of a machine:

  • When the large gear wheel engages (with the smaller one), the mill stone will start to go round.

• 3 to attack or begin to fight someone:

  • Enemy planes engaged the troops as they advanced into the mountains.

• 4 to teach someone, especially a class of children, or to keep someone busy

• 5 especially of a writer, musician, artist, etc. interested in and taking part in politics

• 6 to cause someone to become interested or involved in an activity, or to attract someone’s interest:

  • He wrote about things that engaged him.

• 7 to fit one part of a machine into another so they move together, or cause something to fit into and move together:

  • [ I ] The gears won’t engage.

  • [ T ] You need to engage second gear.

• 8 to attack or begin to fight an enemy in a military operation:

  • The marines engaged the enemy.

• 9 to arrange to employ someone; hire:

  • She decided to engage a personal assistant.

  • Her family engaged a tutor to teach her French.

• 10 to employ someone:

  • engage sb (to do sth) They have engaged accountancy firm Ernst & Young to approach financial institutions for funding on their behalf.

  • It would be prudent to engage the services of a lawyer to help with this matter.