To give employment to; to engage the attention or feelings of; to tax the powers of.

transitive. To occupy or engage the attention or time of (a person): (also) to occupy (the attention, etc.) of a person. Now rare except as implied…

transitive. To fill (the mind) with an occupation. Obsolete. rare.

transitive. To awaken or startle from (also out of) a state of comfort, security, or apathy; to shake up. Also with up.

transitive. To capture or engage (a person's attention, imagination, interest, affection, etc.); to attract (the eye, ear, etc.).

transitive. To engage or arrest the attention of (a person); to occupy (a person's thoughts). Obsolete.

To hold, engage, keep the attention of. Obsolete (or merged in sense 4.)

transitive. To engage the attention of (the eyes, ears, etc.).

figurative. To take hold of (a person) mentally. Obsolete.

transitive. To engage the attention of; to cause (a person) to feel interest, care, or solicitude. Chiefly in passive: to be interested, to care.

transitive. To catch (a person's eye or attention).

To arrest (the attention).

transitive. To attract and hold fast (attention, interest); formerly also with personal object, ‘to hold by the attention’ (Johnson). Cf. 10.

transitive. Of an object of attention: to present itself to, to come to the notice of (a person's sight, hearing, etc.). Esp. in to meet the eye (also…

transitive. To push or prod (a person) gently, esp. with the elbow, for the purpose of attracting attention, etc. Also: to give (a thing, etc.) a…

To impress or catch (the senses, fancy, imagination, notice, curiosity, etc.).

figurative. To catch, arrest (attention, etc.). rare.

In various figurative uses. Of an object of perception, a fact, etc., hence of a speaker, writer, or artist: To arrest, hold (the attention), to…

To affect with a feeling of concern; to stimulate to sympathetic feeling; to excite the curiosity or attention of. (Probably a back-formation from…

transitive. To sharpen, to give a point to; (figurative) to give sharpness or keenness to.

To catch and fix the attention of (a person). This passes into 6a, since it may result in a literal stopping of action or motion.

figurative. To take hold upon (the mind, the emotions); to compel the attention and interest of (a reader, etc.).

transitive. To excite the curiosity or interest of; to interest so as to puzzle or fascinate. Also absol. (A modern gallicism.)

To arrest the attention of (a person); to make an impression on. slang.

transitive. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). Of a performer, politician, etc.: to attempt to engage the interest, attention, or support…