engineer

1 of 2

noun

en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈnir 

1

: a member of a military group devoted to engineering work

2

obsolete : a crafty schemer : plotter

3

a

: 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

2 of 2

verb

engineered; engineering; engineers

transitive verb

1

: to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer

engineer a bridge

2

a

: 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

Noun

• architect
• mastermind

Verb

• contrive
• finagle
• finesse
• frame
• machinate
• maneuver
• manipulate
• mastermind
• negotiate
• wangle

Choose the Right Synonym for engineer

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

Much of the best robot hardware and highest-quality robot data, as well as many of the most talented engineers, come from China, Mohammadi said. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 13 May 2025

Fintechs have long hired full-stack engineers, professionals who can work across the front-end, back-end, and DevOps. —Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

Verb

While studying economics at IIE MSA in Johannesburg, Tems taught herself to produce and engineer her own music through YouTube tutorials. —Heran Mamo, Billboard, 14 May 2025

Imola’s considerable power comes from the 6-liter twin-turbo V12 engineered and built in collaboration with the naughty schoolboys of Affalterbach, Mercedes-AMG. —Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English engineour, from Anglo-French, from enginer to devise, construct, from engin

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1635, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing engineer

• civil engineer
• flight engineer
• reverse engineer

Rhymes for engineer

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

engineer

1 of 2 noun

en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈni(ə)r 

1

: a member of a military group devoted to engineering work

2

a

: a designer or builder of engines

b

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

3

: a person who runs or supervises an engine or technical machinery

engineer

2 of 2 verb

1

: to plan, build, or manage as an engineer

2

: to guide the course of

engineer a rally

Medical Definition

engineer

transitive verb

en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈni(ə)r 

: to modify or produce by genetic engineering

insulin made by genetically engineered bacteria

—Technical Survey