engagement

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act of engaging or the state of being engaged.
2. n. Betrothal.
3. n. Something that serves to engage; a pledge.
4. n. A promise or agreement to be at a particular place at a particular time.
5. n. Employment, especially for a specified time.
6. n. A specific, often limited, period of employment.
7. n. A hostile encounter; a battle.
8. n. The condition of being in gear.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of engaging, binding, or pledging, or the state of being engaged, bound, or pledged.
2. n. That to which one is engaged or pledged; an agreement; an appointment; a contract; an undertaking: as, he failed to fulfil his engagement.
3. n. Specifically The state of having entered into a contract of marriage; betrothal: as, their engagement has been announced.
4. n. That which engages or binds; obligation.
5. n. Strong attachment or adherence; partiality; bias; partizanship.
6. n. Occupation; employment of the attention; affair of business.
7. n. In machinery, the act or state of meshing together and acting upon each other: as, the engagement of geared wheels.
8. n. A combat between armies or fleets; a fight; a conflict; a battle.
9. n. In fencing, the joining of weapons with an adversary: as, an engagement in carte, tierce, etc. Rolando (ed. Forsyth).
10. n. Synonyms Pledge, etc. (see promise, n.), contract.
11. n. Conflict, Fight, etc. See battle.

Wiktionary

1. n. countable an appointment, especially to speak or perform
2. n. uncountable connection or attachment
3. n. countable or uncountable the period of time when marriage is planned or promised
4. n. In any situation of conflict, an actual instance of active hostilities.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of engaging, pledging, enlisting, occupying, or entering into contest.
2. n. The state of being engaged, pledged or occupied; specif., a pledge to take some one as husband or wife.
3. n. That which engages; engrossing occupation; employment of the attention; obligation by pledge, promise, or contract; an enterprise embarked in.
4. n. (Mil.) An action; a fight; a battle.
5. n. (Mach.) The state of being in gear.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
2. n. a mutual promise to marry
3. n. the act of giving someone a job
4. n. the act of sharing in the activities of a group
5. n. contact by fitting together
6. n. a meeting arranged in advance
7. n. employment for performers or performing groups that lasts for a limited period of time