engagement
/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒm(ə)nt
/ /ɛnˈɡeɪdʒm(ə)nt/noun
1A formal agreement to get married: she’d broken off her engagement to Paul...
- And it won't be a formal engagement, at least not until I can get a ring.
- I don't have a ring yet, because we decided it wasn't a formal engagement yet.
- It didn't take her long to get over her broken engagement with Malcom.
Synonyms
betrothal, betrothment, marriage contract
archaic plighting of one's troth, espousal, affiance, affiancing, handfast
rare sponsalia, subarrhation
1.1The duration of an agreement to get married: a good long engagement to give you time to be sure...
- We separated twice in the duration of our engagement.
- Apparently their society demanded a year long engagements, and this couple were newlyweds on their honeymoon.
- People usually marry after a period of formal engagement that can last several years.
2An arrangement to do something or go somewhere at a fixed time: a dinner engagement...
- He had just returned from a dinner engagement with his sister and family.
- I headed off for our dinner engagement where I waited in vain for my dear husband to arrive.
- This did not help poor Sam who had a dinner engagement at 8.30 pm at Lancaster, hope she made it.
Synonyms
appointment, arrangement, commitment, meeting, tweetup, interview, consultation, session;
date, assignation, rendezvous
literary tryst
3 [mass noun] The action of engaging or being engaged: Britain’s continued engagement in open trading...
- China's engagement in space scientific experiments and technical tests is entirely out of peaceful purpose, it also represents a contribution to the science of humanity and to the cause of peace.
- Besides my amusement in actually relating a current writing to Plato, I think the column astutely voices a deficiency of student engagement in classes.
- Mutual obligation is therefore seen as a social or political value that can be enforced without reference to whether it involves engagement in a reciprocal economy.
Synonyms
participation, participating, taking part, sharing, partaking, involvement, association
4A fight or battle between armed forces: the war’s most significant engagements were fought to keep these sea lanes open...
- Extending the conclusion of losing battles, engagements and fire fights can salvage some benefits in the greater campaign.
- He fought in most major engagements of the Mexican war.
- The fight for Little Round Top is certainly one of the most written about tactical engagements in the Civil War.
Synonyms
battle, fight, clash, confrontation, encounter, conflict, struggle, skirmish, affray, attack, assault, offensive;
warfare, action, combat;
hostilities
informal dogfight, shoot-out, scrap
Origin
Early 17th century (in the general sense 'a legal or moral obligation'): French, from engager 'to pledge' (see engage).