Engage

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Engage \En*gage"\, v. i.
     1. To promise or pledge one's self; to enter into an
        obligation; to become bound; to warrant.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              How proper the remedy for the malady, I engage not.


                                                    --Fuller.
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     2. 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.
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     3. To enter into conflict; to join battle; as, the armies
        engaged in a general battle.
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     4. (Mach.) To be in gear, as two cogwheels working together.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Engage \En*gage"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Engaged}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Engaging}.] [F. engager; pref. en- (L. in) + gage pledge,
     pawn. See {Gage}.]
     1. To put under pledge; to pledge; to place under obligations
        to do or forbear doing something, as by a pledge, oath, or
        promise; to bind by contract or promise. "I to thee
        engaged a prince's word." --Shak.
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     2. 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.
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     3. To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to
        draw.
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              Good nature engages everybody to him. --Addison.
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     4. To employ the attention and efforts of; to occupy; to
        engross; to draw on.
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              Thus shall mankind his guardian care engage. --Pope.
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              Taking upon himself the difficult task of engaging
              him in conversation.                  --Hawthorne.
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     5. To enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to
        conflict.
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              A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy.
                                                    --Ludlow.
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     6. (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.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  engage
       v 1: carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in;
            "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a
            discussion" [syn: {prosecute}, {pursue}]
       2: engage or engross wholly; "Her interest in butterflies
          absorbs her completely" [syn: {absorb}, {engross}, {occupy}]
       3: engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in
          the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn:
           {hire}, {employ}] [ant: {fire}]
       4: ask to represent; of legal counsel; "I'm retaining a lawyer"
       5: give to in marriage [syn: {betroth}, {affiance}, {plight}]
       6: get caught; "make sure the gear is engaged" [ant: {disengage}]
       7: as of wars, battles, or campaigns; "Napoleon and Hitler
          waged war against all of Europe" [syn: {wage}]
       8: as of aid, help, services, or support [syn: {enlist}]
       9: engage for service under a term of contract; "We took an
          apartment on a quiet street"; "Let's rent a car"; "Shall
          we take a guide in Rome?" [syn: {lease}, {rent}, {hire}, {charter},
           {take}]
       10: keep engaged; "engaged the gears" [syn: {mesh}, {lock}, {operate}]
           [ant: {disengage}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  189 Moby Thesaurus words for "engage":
     absorb, absorb the attention, accept obligation, affiance, agree,
     agree to, answer for, appeal, approach, arrest, assault, assay,
     attack, attempt, attend to business, attract, bargain, bargain for,
     battle, be answerable for, be attractive, be responsible for,
     be security for, beckon, become engaged, bespeak, betroth, bind,
     book, brief, bring, busy, captivate, capture, carry, catch,
     catch up in, chance, charm, clash with, coact, combat, commit,
     compact, concern, contract, contract an engagement, contract for,
     cooperate, covenant, decide, determine, devote, dispose, do a deal,
     do battle, dovetail, draw, draw in, embark on, embarrass, employ,
     enchant, encounter, engage in, engage in battle,
     engage the attention, engage the mind, engage the thoughts,
     engross, engross the mind, engross the thoughts, enlist, enmesh,
     entangle, enter into, enthrall, essay, exercise, face, fascinate,
     fetch, fight, get to do, give battle, go bail for, grab,
     grapple with, grip, guarantee, have an understanding, hire, hold,
     hold spellbound, hold the interest, hypnotize, imbue, immerse,
     implicate, incline, indenture, induce, influence, interact,
     interchange, interest, interest in, interlace, interlock,
     intermesh, interplay, intertwine, interweave, interwork, invite,
     involve, involve the interest, join battle, join battle with,
     join issue, lead, lift a finger, lure, make a deal,
     make an attempt, make an effort, meet, mesh, mesmerize,
     mind the store, monopolize, mortise, obligate, obsess, occupy,
     occupy the attention, offer, partake in, participate in, pass,
     pass the time, pledge, plight, preengage, preoccupy, procure,
     promise, prompt, publish the banns, put on, recruit, rent, reserve,
     retain, secure, shake hands on, sign on, sign up, sign up for,
     soak, spellbind, spend, spend the time, stipulate, strike,
     suck into, summon, sway, take into employment, take on,
     take part in, take the vows, take up, tangle, tantalize, tease,
     tempt, tickle, tie, tie up, titillate, troth, try, try conclusions,
     undertake, venture, venture on, venture upon, whet the appetite