en‧gage W3 / ɪnɡeɪdʒ / 动词 formal

1 [ intransitive always + 介词 ] to be doing or to become involved in an activity

engage in/on/upon

Only 10% of American adults engage in regular exercise.

The two parties engaged upon an escalating political struggle.

Mr Armstrong was engaged in prayer.

engage in doing something

Despite her illness, she remains actively engaged in shaping policy.

2 [及物动词] to attract someone’s attention and keep them interested

engage sb’s interest/attention

The toy didn’t engage her interest for long.

engage somebody in conversation (= start talking to them )

3 engage with somebody/something to get involved with other people and their ideas in order to understand them :

Are you so tired you don’t have the energy to engage with your kids?

4 [及物动词] formal to employ someone to do a particular job

engage somebody to do something

Her father engaged a tutor to improve her maths.

engage somebody as something

We’d be able to engage local people as volunteers.

5 [不及物和及物动词] if you engage part of a machine, or if it engages, it moves so that it fits into another part of the machine 反义词 disengage :

She engaged the clutch and the car moved.

engage with

The wheel engages with the cog and turns it.

6 [不及物和及物动词] to begin to fight an enemy :

American forces did not directly engage.