Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The action of engaging or the state of being engaged.
  • noun The condition of being in gear.
  • noun A mutual promise to get married.
  • noun The period during which this promise is kept.
  • noun A pledge or obligation.
  • noun A promise or agreement to be at a particular place at a particular time.
  • noun Employment, especially for a specified time.
  • noun A specific, often limited, period of employment.
  • noun A hostile encounter; a battle.

from The Century Dictionary.

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

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
  • noun a mutual promise to marry
  • noun the act of giving someone a job
  • noun the act of sharing in the activities of a group
  • noun contact by fitting together
  • noun a meeting arranged in advance
  • noun employment for performers or performing groups that lasts for a limited period of time

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French engagement

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  • An autantonym: Military battle vs. marital accord.

    January 26, 2013