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engage : [ɛng'edʒ] 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. [ 1913 Webster] 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. [ 1913 Webster] 3. To enter into conflict; to join battle; as, the armies engaged in a general battle. [ 1913 Webster] 4. ( Mach.) To be in gear, as two cogwheels working together. [ 1913 Webster]
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. [ 1913 Webster] 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. [ 1913 Webster] 3. To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to draw. [ 1913 Webster] Good nature engages everybody to him. -- Addison. [ 1913 Webster] 4. To employ the attention and efforts of; to occupy; to engross; to draw on. [ 1913 Webster] Thus shall mankind his guardian care engage. -- Pope. [ 1913 Webster] Taking upon himself the difficult task of engaging him in conversation. -- Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster] 5. To enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to conflict. [ 1913 Webster] A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy. -- Ludlow. [ 1913 Webster] 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] engage v 1: carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; " She pursued many activities"; " They engaged in a discussion" [ synonym: { prosecute}, { engage}, { pursue}] 2: consume all of one' s attention or time; " Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" [ synonym: { absorb}, { engross}, { engage}, { occupy}] 3: engage or hire for work; " They hired two new secretaries in the department"; " How many people has she employed?" [ synonym: { hire}, { engage}, { employ}] [ ant: { can}, { dismiss}, { displace}, { fire}, { force out}, { give notice}, { give the axe}, { give the sack}, { sack}, { send away}, { terminate}] 4: ask to represent; of legal counsel; " I' m retaining a lawyer" 5: give to in marriage [ synonym: { betroth}, { engage}, { affiance}, { plight}] 6: get caught; " make sure the gear is engaged" [ ant: { disengage}] 7: carry on ( wars, battles, or campaigns); " Napoleon and Hitler waged war against all of Europe" [ synonym: { engage}, { wage}] 8: hire for work or assistance; " engage aid, help, services, or support" [ synonym: { engage}, { 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?" [ synonym: { lease}, { rent}, { hire}, { charter}, { engage}, { take}] 10: keep engaged; " engaged the gears" [ synonym: { engage}, { mesh}, { lock}, { operate}] [ ant: { disengage}, { withdraw}] 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
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