engage

engage — verb

1. to formally arrange for a person or organisation to carry out a specific task, u

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to formally arrange for a person or organisation to carry out a specific task, usually in exchange for payment

Example

The museum engaged a local artist to paint a mural for the new gallery wing.

engage + person + to-infinitive for hiring

Bilal's company engaged a law firm to handle the contract negotiations.

Common collocations
  • engage a consultant
  • engage a lawyer
  • engage a specialist
  • engage an expert
Synonyms
  • hire

    the everyday alternative; less formal than 'engage'

  • recruit

    specifically for finding and selecting new staff members

  • employ

    similar formality; often implies an ongoing work relationship rather than a one-off task

Antonyms
  • dismiss

    to end someone's employment

  • fire

    informal; to force someone to leave a job

Grammar Patterns

engage + person/company + to-infinitive

engage + person/company + as + role

Usage Note

This sense is more formal than 'hire'. Use it for professional services (lawyers, consultants, artists) rather than hourly or casual workers.

Common Mistakes

We engaged a cleaner to come every Tuesday.
We hired a cleaner to come every Tuesday.
'engage' sounds too formal for routine domestic work; 'hire' is the everyday word.

2. to catch and hold someone's interest or attention so that they keep thinking abo

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to catch and hold someone's interest or attention so that they keep thinking about or focusing on something

Example

The teacher's hands-on science experiment engaged every student in the room.

engage + audience group

Rodrigo found that the novel's opening chapter engaged him immediately.

Common collocations
  • engage the audience
  • engage the reader
  • engage students
  • engage attention
  • fully engaged
Synonyms
  • captivate

    stronger emotional pull; suggests delight or fascination

  • absorb

    implies deep mental involvement; often used with 'in' (absorbed in a book)

  • grip

    more intense; suggests tension or excitement

  • interest

    milder and more general; the everyday alternative

Antonyms
  • bore

    to fail to hold attention; to make someone lose interest

Grammar Patterns

engage + someone

be engaged by + something

Usage Note

Commonly used in passive form: 'I was completely engaged by the performance.' Objects are usually mental activities: audience, readers, students, viewers.

Common Mistakes

The movie engaged me to watch it.
The movie engaged my attention.
'engage' takes a person or their attention as the direct object, not a purpose clause.

3. to take part in an activity or to actively connect with a person, group, or topi

3.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to take part in an activity or to actively connect with a person, group, or topic

Example

Students who engage in classroom discussions usually understand the material better.

engage in + activity

Devika tries to engage with colleagues who hold very different opinions from hers.

engage with + person

Common collocations
  • engage in conversation
  • engage in debate
  • engage with the community
  • engage with technology
  • engage directly
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • avoid

    to stay away from involvement or contact

  • ignore

    to deliberately pay no attention to something

Grammar Patterns

engage in + activity

engage with + person/topic

Usage Note

Unlike CAPTURE ATTENTION (sense 2), this sense is usually intransitive and requires a preposition ('engage in' for activities; 'engage with' for people or ideas). 'Engage in' can sound formal — 'take part in' is simpler.

Common Mistakes

She engaged the community project.
She engaged in the community project.
When the meaning is 'take part', the preposition 'in' is needed.
He engaged to the new software.
He engaged with the new software.
'in' for activities; 'with' for objects, topics, or people.

4. to cause mechanical parts to fit together and begin moving together, or for part

4.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to cause mechanical parts to fit together and begin moving together, or for parts to fit together in this way

Example

Otis pushed the lever forward and the gears engaged with a smooth click.

The mechanic listened carefully to hear whether the engine parts were engaging properly.

intransitive: parts engage

Common collocations
  • engage a gear
  • engage the clutch
  • engage the brake
  • gears engage
  • teeth engage
Synonyms
  • mesh

    more specific to gear teeth; the most precise technical synonym

  • interlock

    used when parts fit tightly together

Antonyms
  • disengage

    to separate mechanical parts so they stop moving together

Grammar Patterns

engage + mechanical part

part + engages (intransitive)

engage + a/the + gear/clutch/brake

Usage Note

The antonym is 'disengage'. This sense belongs almost exclusively to machinery contexts — do not use for people or abstract concepts.

Common Mistakes

The team engaged on the project.' (intending 'started working')
The team started working on the project.
Using the mechanical 'engage' for teamwork confuses readers.

5. to start fighting an opposing military force, or to enter into combat with an en

5.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to start fighting an opposing military force, or to enter into combat with an enemy

Example

The general ordered the ground troops to engage the enemy before sunrise.

transitive: engage + enemy

The two armies engaged in fierce combat just outside the capital city.

intransitive: engage in + combat

Common collocations
  • engage the enemy
  • engage in battle
  • engage in combat
  • engage hostile forces
  • engage targets
Synonyms
  • fight

    everyday alternative; broader in usage

  • clash with

    often used in news reports; suggests a shorter, more intense encounter

  • do battle with

    more formal or literary tone

Antonyms
  • retreat

    to pull back from combat rather than start it

  • withdraw

    to remove forces from engagement

Grammar Patterns

engage + enemy/force (transitive)

engage in + combat/battle (intransitive)

Usage Note

Restricted to military or combat contexts. In sports or arguments, use 'face' or 'take on' instead — 'engage' would sound unnatural.

Common Mistakes

The two boxers engaged in the ring.
The two boxers faced each other in the ring.
'engage' for combat sounds unnatural outside military contexts.

6. to keep someone occupied with an activity, or to teach a group of people (especi

6.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to keep someone occupied with an activity, or to teach a group of people (especially children) by having them actively participate

Example

The summer camp engaged the children in art projects, music, and outdoor games.

engage + someone + in + activity

Anong engaged her literature class in a lively debate about the novel's main themes.

Common collocations
  • engage children in
  • engage students in
  • engage the class in
  • engage someone with
Synonyms
  • occupy

    simpler; focuses on keeping someone busy

  • involve

    similar meaning but less formal

  • keep busy

    conversational alternative

Antonyms
  • idle

    to do nothing; be inactive (though rarely transitive)

Grammar Patterns

engage + someone + in + activity

Usage Note

Overlaps with sense 2 (CAPTURE ATTENTION) but focuses on DOING an activity rather than just thinking about it. 'Engage the children in painting' means occupy them with painting, not just interest them in it.

Common Mistakes

She engaged the children to play games.
She engaged the children in playing games.
The pattern is 'engage someone in something', not 'engage someone to do something'.
Phrasal verbs

engage in

phrasal verb

To take part in a particular activity or discussion.

Mia decided to engage in volunteer work every weekend.

Did the students engage in the science fair project?

engage — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

While all four words describe holding someone's attention, they differ in intensity and focus. 'Attract' is the broadest — it means drawing someone's attention toward something ('The bright colours attracted the child'). 'Engage' goes a step further: the person is not just looking but actively thinking or participating. 'Absorb' suggests deep mental immersion, often used with 'in' ('She was absorbed in the novel'). 'Captivate' adds an emotional element of delight or fascination ('The dancer captivated the audience with every move'). 'Grip' is the most intense, implying tension or suspense ('The thriller gripped me from the first scene'). For everyday use, 'interest' and 'attract' are the simplest alternatives; 'engage' works well in professional or educational contexts where active involvement matters.

attract ↗absorb ↗captivategrip ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • engage in conversation
  • engage with the material
  • engage the target audience
  • remain engaged

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchAnglo-NormanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'engage' entered English from Old French 'engagier', meaning 'to pledge or bind'. This word was formed from 'en-' (a prefix meaning 'in' or 'into') and 'gage' (a pledge or token of commitment — the same root gives us 'mortgage'). Originally, to engage meant to give something as a pledge or promise. Over time, the meaning broadened: pledging to hire someone (sense 1: HIRE SOMEONE), pledging to fight (sense 5: FIGHT ENEMY), and from 'binding attention' came sense 2 (CAPTURE ATTENTION). The mechanical sense (MESH GEARS) developed in the 17th century from the image of parts interlocking like a promise fulfilled. The adjective sense (POLITICALLY ACTIVE) is a 20th-century borrowing from French 'engagé', used in existentialist philosophy to describe artists and writers committed to political causes.