Meaning & use
engaged to be married
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Having formally agreed to marry someone, especially after a proposal and acceptance.
Grammar: Used after the verb 'be': They are engaged to be married. It describes a state, not an action.
Patterns
- be engaged to be married
- get engaged to be married
After dating for five years, they got engaged to be married last summer.
She announced that she was engaged to be married to her university boyfriend.
The couple are engaged to be married and plan a small ceremony.
Common combinations
- get engaged to be married
- They got engaged to be married on a trip to Paris.
- be engaged to be married to someone
- He is engaged to be married to a doctor he met at work.
- newly engaged to be married
- The newly engaged to be married pair were congratulated by everyone.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: engaged to be married or married?
engaged to be married vs married
Being married means the wedding has already happened; being engaged to be married means you have promised to marry but are not yet married.
Practice
They have been ______ for six months and are planning a spring wedding.
Choose one answer.
'Engaged to be married' fits because they are not yet married but have agreed to marry. 'Married' would mean the wedding already happened. 'Engaged in' means involved in an activity, and 'engaged with' means interacting with something.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “engaged to be married”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.