engage

verb

/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they engage	/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/ /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/
he / she / it engages	/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪz/ /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪz/
past simple engaged	/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/ /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/
past participle engaged	/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/ /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/
-ing form engaging	/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/ /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] engage something/somebody (formal) to succeed in attracting and keeping somebody’s attention and interest吸引住（注意力、兴趣）
- It is a movie that engages both the mind and the eye.这是一部令人赏心悦目的影片。
- Their pleas failed to engage any sympathy.他们的请求没有引起任何同情。
- to engage the public/audience/viewer/reader吸引公众/观众/观众/读者
- It was difficult to engage the students at first.起初很难吸引学生。
- The party is attempting to engage young voters politically.这个政党设法让年轻选民参与政治。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- actively
- directly
- fully
- …
verb + engage
- fail to
- refuse to
preposition
- with
adverb
- actively
- constructively
- openly
- …
verb + engage in
- attempt to
- seek to
- try to
- …
See full entry
[transitive] (formal) to employ a person, company, etc. to do a particular job雇用；聘用
- engage somebody/something She has aready engaged a lawyer.她已经和律师订婚了。
- We will have to engage the services of a translator.我们得聘一名翻译人员。
- engage somebody/something as something He was immediately engaged as a consultant.他立即被聘为顾问。
- engage somebody/something to do something Karl Böhm engaged her to sing in Vienna.卡尔·伯姆约她在维也纳唱歌。
Extra Examples
- Some of the directors wanted to engage another firm.一些董事想雇用另一家公司。
- They have engaged companies as subcontractors for the construction work他们聘请公司作为建筑工程的分包商
- The government engages charitable organizations to help in the distribution of food政府聘请慈善组织帮助分发食物
[intransitive] engage (with something/somebody) to become involved with and try to understand something/somebody与…建立密切关系；尽力理解
- She has the ability to engage with young minds.她能够与年轻人心意相通。
Extra Examples
- We acknowledge the need to engage directly with these problems.我们承认需要立即处理这些问题。
- Our contributors are actively engaging with tradition.我们的撰稿人在积极地涉猎传统问题。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- actively
- directly
- fully
- …
verb + engage
- fail to
- refuse to
preposition
- with
adverb
- actively
- constructively
- openly
- …
verb + engage in
- attempt to
- seek to
- try to
- …
See full entry
[transitive, intransitive] (formal) to begin fighting with somebody与（某人）交战；与（某人）开战
- engage somebody He ordered his men to engage the enemy.他命令他的士兵与敌人开战。
- engage with somebody The fleet sailed out of Cadiz to engage with the enemy.舰队驶出加的斯与敌人交战。
Topics War and conflictc2
[intransitive, transitive] when a part of a machine engages, or when you engage it, it fits together with another part of the machine and the machine begins to work（使）衔接，啮合
- The cogwheels are not engaging.齿轮未啮合在一起。
- engage with something One cogwheel engages with the next.齿轮一个个啮合在一起。
- engage something Engage the clutch before selecting a gear.先踩离合器再挂挡。

opposite disengage

Word Originlate Middle English (formerly also as ingage): from French engager, ultimately from the base of gage, ‘a pledge or deposit offered as a guarantee’. The word originally meant ‘to pawn or pledge something’, later ‘pledge oneself (to do something)’, hence ‘enter into a contract’ (mid 16th cent.), ‘involve oneself in an activity’, ‘enter into combat’ (mid 17th cent.), giving rise to the notion ‘involve someone or something else’.