engineer

noun

en·gi·neer | \ ˌen-jə-ˈnir

Definition of engineer

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a member of a military group devoted to engineering work

2 obsolete : a crafty schemer : plotter

3a : a designer or builder of engines

b : a person who is trained in or follows as a profession a branch of engineering

c : a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance

4 : a person who runs or supervises an engine or an apparatus

engineer

verb

engineered; engineering; engineers

Definition of engineer (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer engineer a bridge

2a : to contrive or plan out usually with more or less subtle skill and craft engineer a business deal

b : to guide the course of engineer a rally

3 : to modify or produce by genetic engineering corn engineered to resist crop pests

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about engineer

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Choose the Right Synonym for engineer

Verb

guide, lead, steer, pilot, engineer mean to direct in a course or show the way to be followed. guide implies intimate knowledge of the way and of all its difficulties and dangers. guided the scouts through the cave lead implies showing the way and often keeping those that follow under control and in order. led his team to victory steer implies an ability to keep to a course and stresses the capacity of maneuvering correctly. steered the ship through a narrow channel pilot suggests guidance over a dangerous or complicated course. piloted the bill through the Senate engineer implies finding ways to avoid or overcome difficulties in achieving an end or carrying out a plan. engineered his son's election to the governorship

Examples of engineer in a Sentence

Noun

Design engineers are working on ways to make the cars run more efficiently. The engineer stopped the train. Army engineers were called in to construct the canal.

Verb

The rebels engineered a successful attack. the mayor engineered an agreement to have a major league team play in our city

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Manal Ezzat, a 9/11 survivor who was an engineer at the Pentagon and is Muslim, led the team that created that space. — The Christian Science Monitor, "the first televised political debate in a young democracy," 11 Sep. 2019 Gaga and Horton, an audio engineer, first struck up dating rumors in late July. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lady Gaga Posts a Photo from an Intimate Dinner Date with Rumored Boyfriend Dan Horton," 9 Sep. 2019 McLaughlin was a senior software engineer, and Takvam was Brilliant's vice president of engineering. — CBS News, "What we know about the California boat fire victims," 6 Sep. 2019 He was transferred to IBM in Milwaukee in 1970 and was a systems engineer there until 2000. — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'We still haven't found the right hero': A Pewaukee woman is searching for a living kidney donor for her husband," 6 Sep. 2019 Scott Chan was an accomplished electrical engineer who worked for legacy Silicon Valley company Juniper Networks but retired early to pursue other passions such as teaching physics and volunteering. — Erin Woo, The Mercury News, "South Bay father and daughter who bonded over diving trips among the 34 killed in California boat fire," 4 Sep. 2019 An engineer who became a board director at a steel-manufacturing conglomerate, Hiroshi traveled all over the country on business. — Kyoko Mori, Longreads, "One Man’s Poison," 3 Sep. 2019 Her father was a mechanical engineer both at work and at home. — Nandita Jayaraj, Quartz India, "Meet Indumathi, the Indian scientist who wants to capture one of the universe’s smallest particles," 27 Aug. 2019 Her mother was a singing teacher, and her father was a chemical engineer. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Remembering Liane Russell, the Geneticist Who Studied Radiation’s Harmful Effects on Embryos," 26 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Maybe Brown’s plan, all along, was to engineer his firing from the Raiders and ink a deal with New England. — Sean Gregory, Time, "On NFL Kickoff, the New England Patriots Win Again," 8 Sep. 2019 Due to government inability to engineer sustained economic growth through policy, both of Africa’s largest economies are plagued by rampant and high unemployment—particularly among fast-growing youth populations, resulting in poverty. — Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "Xenophobic attacks on African migrants in South Africa have been escalated by misinformation," 4 Sep. 2019 Use your innate resourcefulness and ingenuity to engineer a plan. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Sept. 2, 2019: Happy birthday Keanu Reeves; Capricorn, time to try something new," 2 Sep. 2019 Rutchena was the main beneficiary of a four-touchdown night from Mustangs quarterback Jack Stewardson, who shook off two interceptions for Granite Bay touchdowns to engineer the winning drive. — Chace Bryson, SFChronicle.com, "Pittsburg QB passes for six TDs in win over St. Mary’s-Stockton," 24 Aug. 2019 An alternative might involve using the genome sequences of the banana and the Fusarium fungus to engineer a Cavendish 2.0, with resistance to the blight. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "A deadly fungus could wipe out the world’s favorite banana—again," 20 Aug. 2019 To dodge the immune system and make regenerative stem cell therapies widely available to the general public, our lab aims to engineer stem cells lacking any immune features. — Tobias Deuse, The Conversation, "Stem cells could regenerate organs – but only if the body won’t reject them," 19 Aug. 2019 Many local governments continue to organize tests of school lunches, part of a larger effort to engineer new meals out of surplus agricultural products. — Michael Waters, Smithsonian, "The Government Taste Testers Who Reshaped America’s Diet," 9 Aug. 2019 Now, the Fed is trying to engineer a way to steer clear of a sudden economic stop. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Interest rates cut for first time since 2008: What it means for you," 31 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'engineer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near engineer

engineer's brake valve

engineer's chain

engineer's hammer

Statistics for engineer

Last Updated

15 Oct 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for engineer

The first known use of engineer was circa 1635

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More Definitions for engineer

engineer

noun

English Language Learners Definition of engineer

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who has scientific training and who designs and builds complicated products, machines, systems, or structures : a person who specializes in a branch of engineering

: a person who runs or is in charge of an engine in an airplane, a ship, etc.

US : a person who runs a train

engineer

verb

English Language Learners Definition of engineer (Entry 2 of 2)

: to plan, build, or manage (something) by using scientific methods

: to produce or plan (something) especially in a clever and skillful way

technical : to change the genetic structure of (a plant or animal)

See the full definition for engineer in the English Language Learners Dictionary

engineer

noun

en·gi·neer | \ ˌen-jə-ˈnir

Kids Definition of engineer

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a person who designs and builds machinery or technical equipment : a person who studies or works in a branch of engineering an electrical engineer

2 : a person who runs or is in charge of a railroad engine or other machinery or technical equipment