Added 9 October 2026
engage
/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ verb
In Latin: fruor Wiktionary
verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about engage at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in.
She pursued many activities
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Consume all of one's attention or time.
Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely
-
Engage or hire for work.
They hired two new secretaries in the department
Origin
From Middle English engagen, from Old French engagier (“to pledge, engage”), from Old French en- (“in, under”) + gage (“pledge”), from Frankish *wadi (“pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *wadją (“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge, redeem a pledge; guarantee, bail”), equivalent to en- + gage. Cognate with Old English weddian (“to engage, covenant, undertake”), German wetten (“to bet, wager”), Icelandic veðja (“to wager”). More at wed.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)