engaged

1 of 2

adjective

en·​gaged in-ˈgājd How to pronounce engaged (audio)
en-
Synonyms of engaged
1
: involved in activity : occupied, busy
2
: pledged to be married : betrothed
3
: greatly interested : committed entry 1
4
: involved especially in a hostile encounter
5
: partly embedded in a wall
an engaged column
6
: being in gear : meshed

engaged

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of engage entry 1

Synonyms of engaged

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of engaged in a Sentence

Adjective the engaged couple make a charming pair I'm engaged right now, so call back some other time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Smythson Bride-To-Be Soho Notebook Wedding season may be coming to a close, but this notebook is a perfect gift to help give engaged couples a place to plan out their nuptials for the coming year. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026 Families speak not only about how their children are more engaged in school, but happier and more hopeful about their future. — Grant Oliphant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 Colorful pictures will help your child learn by keeping them engaged and excited about Spanish. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 The jury was listening intently and looking at the screen as the story of the shooting unfolded, more engaged after already listening to hours of the recording. — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for engaged

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of engaged was in 1629

Phrases Containing engaged

Rhymes for engaged

See All Rhymes for engaged

Browse Nearby Words

engagé
engaged
engaged tone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Engaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engaged. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

engaged

adjective
en·​gaged in-ˈgājd How to pronounce engaged (audio)
1
: being occupied with some activity
they were engaged in conversation
2
: pledged to be married : betrothed
an engaged couple
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All