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Meaning & use

engagement

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/
US/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A formal promise to marry, or the period before the wedding.

    Grammar: Often with announce or break: announce an engagement.

    Patterns

    • an engagement to someone
    • break off an engagement

    They announced their engagement at the family dinner.

    Her engagement to Tom lasted a year.

    The couple broke off the engagement.

  2. noununcountable

    A feeling of active interest and involvement in something.

    Grammar: Often with with: engagement with students.

    Patterns

    • engagement with something
    • student engagement

    Teachers want to increase student engagement.

    The campaign aims at greater community engagement.

    His engagement with the project was total.

  3. nouncountableformal

    An arrangement to be somewhere at a set time, such as an appointment or a performance.

    Grammar: Often with a previous or speaking: a previous engagement.

    Patterns

    • a previous engagement
    • a speaking engagement

    I cannot come because of a previous engagement.

    The author has several speaking engagements this month.

    The band has an engagement in Boston on Friday.

  4. nouncountablemilitary

    A fight or battle between armed forces.

    Grammar: Military term: a naval engagement.

    Patterns

    • an engagement between forces

    The two fleets met in a brief engagement.

    The engagement lasted only an hour.

    Rules of engagement guide how soldiers may fight.

  5. noununcountablebusiness

    The way users interact with online content, measured by likes, comments or shares.

    Grammar: Used in marketing: engagement rate.

    Patterns

    • engagement rate
    • social media engagement

    The post had high engagement on social media.

    Marketers track engagement more than views.

    Engagement fell after the redesign.

Word forms

pluralengagements

Common combinations

announce an engagement
They announced their engagement in the newspaper.
engagement ring
He chose an engagement ring with a small diamond.
previous engagement
Sorry, I have a previous engagement.
customer engagement
Customer engagement grew after the new app launched.
speaking engagement
She flew out for a speaking engagement.
rules of engagement
The rules of engagement were strictly defined.

Synonyms and how they differ

involvement
Involvement says you are part of something, while engagement stresses active interest.
appointment
Appointment is a meeting set in advance, whereas engagement can mean a public or professional commitment.
betrothal
Betrothal is an old or formal word for an engagement to marry.
participation
Participation means taking part, with less emphasis on real interest.

Opposites

disengagementapathy

Word family

engage verb
to involve or attract attention
engaged adjective
promised to marry, or busy
engaging adjective
charming or interesting
disengage verb
to detach or withdraw
engagingly adverb
in an interesting way

Commonly confused: engagement or engage?

engagement vs engage

Engage is the verb; engagement is the noun for the state or event.

Practice

Teachers noticed that student ____ rose when lessons included group projects.

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