Meaning & use
engineer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person trained in applying science and mathematics to design, build, or maintain machines, structures, or systems.
Grammar: Often preceded by a field: a civil engineer, a software engineer.
Patterns
- an engineer at a company
- an engineer for something
The engineer checked the bridge for cracks before it reopened.
My sister works as a software engineer for a small startup.
An engineer came to fix the heating system this morning.
nouncountableAmerican
A person who drives or operates a train.
Grammar: Mainly American; British speakers say train driver.
The engineer sounded the horn as the train approached the crossing.
A retired engineer told stories of night runs through the mountains.
The engineer slowed down when the signal turned yellow.
verbtransitive
To plan, build, or bring about something skillfully, often through clever or hidden arrangement.
Grammar: Takes an object: engineer a deal.
Patterns
- engineer something
- engineer a way to do something
She engineered a meeting between the two rival leaders.
The team engineered a lighter frame for the bicycle.
He quietly engineered his own promotion.
Word forms
| plural | engineers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | engineers |
| past tense | engineered |
| past participle | engineered |
| -ing form | engineering |
Common combinations
- civil engineer
- A civil engineer designed the new tunnel.
- chief engineer
- The chief engineer approved the final plans.
- engineer a solution
- They engineered a solution to the water shortage.
- engineer a comeback
- The coach engineered a comeback in the second half.
- genetically engineered
- The crop is genetically engineered to resist insects.
Synonyms and how they differ
- designer
- A designer shapes how something looks or works, while an engineer also calculates and tests whether it will function.
- technician
- A technician operates or repairs equipment, whereas an engineer usually designs it.
- orchestrate
- Orchestrate stresses coordinating many parts, while the verb engineer suggests a plan carried out cleverly.
- contrive
- Contrive often implies a slightly sly or artificial scheme, while engineer sounds more skillful and deliberate.
Word family
- engineering noun
- the work or study of designing and building
- reengineer verb
- to redesign something
- engineered adjective
- designed or created through technical planning
- overengineer verb
- to make something far more complicated than needed
Commonly confused: engineer or mechanic?
engineer vs mechanic
A mechanic repairs vehicles or machines, while an engineer designs and plans them.
Practice
The mayor secretly ___ a deal that helped her allies.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a past tense verb, so engineered is correct; the other forms do not fit the grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “engineer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.