1
as in occupies
to hold the attention of
the challenging jigsaw puzzle engaged us all evening
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in commits
to obligate by prior agreement
we can't go to the dance because we're already engaged to attend a piano recital
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in employs
to provide with a paying job
the wealthy couple are looking to engage a handyman to take care of the estate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in hires
to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum
my sister and her boyfriend have engaged a chauffeured limousine for the prom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of engages
Most of the money engages the leisurely judgment of the bettors, who have all day to survey the odds or the records of the starting pitchers, or to apply their systems.
—
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Tommy engages the audience in all of his tricks and shows kids how much fun reading can be.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
The pull toward explanation, footnotes, forcing a journalistic clarity in a literary piece that engages the politics that frame it.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Then Thomas engages his brother, with Erik moving backwards with his hands up for a fist fight.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Beijing quietly engages transitional government, negotiates 40-50 cents on the dollar, redirects teapot demand to Canadian and Iraqi grades.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Simply carrying heavy loads engages your core muscles and challenges them without putting any stress on your back from bending.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Dec. 2025
Critics argue that the Federal Open Market Committee—with its mysterious dot-plots and the breadcrumbs its members occasionally drop into speeches—engages the attention of Wall Street a little too much.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025
Semi-retired leadership, where a CEO engages inconsistently, can be disruptive and create instability in organizations.
—Kathryn Landis, Harvard Business Review, 5 Dec. 2025
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Tommy engages the audience in all of his tricks and shows kids how much fun reading can be.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
The pull toward explanation, footnotes, forcing a journalistic clarity in a literary piece that engages the politics that frame it.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Then Thomas engages his brother, with Erik moving backwards with his hands up for a fist fight.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Beijing quietly engages transitional government, negotiates 40-50 cents on the dollar, redirects teapot demand to Canadian and Iraqi grades.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Simply carrying heavy loads engages your core muscles and challenges them without putting any stress on your back from bending.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Dec. 2025
Critics argue that the Federal Open Market Committee—with its mysterious dot-plots and the breadcrumbs its members occasionally drop into speeches—engages the attention of Wall Street a little too much.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025
Semi-retired leadership, where a CEO engages inconsistently, can be disruptive and create instability in organizations.
—Kathryn Landis, Harvard Business Review, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engages
Verb
-
The property occupies a sizable 6,868-square-foot lot.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Hisense says cyan occupies a part of the spectrum where the human eye is especially sensitive, allowing the panel to render smoother gradients, more realistic tones and subtler transitions without oversaturation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The designation has since been renewed multiple times as the country faces a host of crises, including widespread violence by armed gangs, food insecurity, displacement and a leadership vacuum after the president was assassinated in 2021.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
As is customary when any White House official faces heat, discussion of potential replacements has been rampant.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The 32-nation military organization is bound together by a mutual defense clause, Article 5 of NATO’s founding Washington treaty, which commits every country to come to the defense of an ally whose territory is under threat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Kaneland 20-0 (1) Connor Kimme, who commits to NCAA Division III Concordia Wisconsin, keeps Knights rolling.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Suddenly Sophie’s selfhood is tied up in a potential affair with a man who employs her, which was the exact situation in which Sophie’s maid mother found herself with her lord father.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Tomaszewski Hill did not respond to a question about how many people the company employs in the Boise area.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In order for Sophie to live a comfortable life, Araminta hires her as an unpaid maid and treats her pretty cruelly compared to her daughers Posy and Rosamund.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Cherny said his team now hires mostly generalists rather than specialists, since many traditional programming skills are less relevant when AI handles implementation details.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Nuisance Bear immerses viewers in the experience of a polar bear forced to navigate tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as climate change delays the freeze and pushes bears closer to human settlements.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
-
From Agnes’ brutal childbirth scenes to the wrenching heartbreak when the plague hits their household and takes 11-year-old Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), Zhao immerses you in Agnes and Will’s grief while also touching on their own individual internal tussles.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In November, shareholders approved a pay package that could eventually award him up to $1 trillion if the company meets a series of ambitious targets.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The bridge between East and West—and where old meets new.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This means that the snail actively recruits and manages metal ions from its environment for shell formation.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The series recruits hosts like Sally Jessy Raphael and Maury Povich for insight into the era's popularity.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Engages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engages. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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