engaging 1 of 2

Definition of engagingnext
1
2

engaging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of engage
1
2
as in facing
to enter into contest or conflict with the daring young captain was eager to engage the enemy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in committing
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
5
as in hiring
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of engaging
Adjective
Plus, the colors are vibrant, which makes viewing videos and creating presentations more engaging. George Yang, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026 An entire professional class of content creators emerged whose job was to figure out how to make their little video more engaging, watchable, and unignorable than the next. Hank Green, Time, 7 May 2026
Verb
Beijing has sought to navigate this ambivalence by engaging individual European governments while sidelining Brussels, a tactic that reliably antagonizes EU institutions. Yu Jie, Time, 13 May 2026 Sebastian is a resilient and engaging young man who brings a positive, upbeat energy to those around him. CBS News, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for engaging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engaging
Adjective
  • Briefly elevated into an unlikely attraction, he is soon displaced by a more appealing performer and becomes consumed by the need to reclaim that fleeting sense of being seen.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2026
  • None of it is particularly politically appealing.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Adjective
  • An interesting wine list includes English sparkling wines like Hundred Hills, and there are 5,000 more bottles in the cellar.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
  • The psychologist found these analogies interesting.
    Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • And while the company presented more data on that drug Tuesday, showing promising first-line and combination data on daraxonrasib, scientists also showed in another session intriguing preclinical data on a completely new compound that may represent what comes after the current lineup.
    Angus Chen, STAT, 21 Apr. 2026
  • There’s familiarity there, but there’s also intriguing talent with Thompson.
    SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Brown is still building up his pitch count with his transition from the bullpen to the rotation, requiring high efficiency facing Major League Baseball’s best offense to give them that many outs.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
  • Kubiak has experience going against the group in practices last season, but facing his former boss in Mike MacDonald will be a tall task.
    Sam Warren, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • The Steelers had expected this to be the case perhaps weeks or even months ago, but Rodgers took his methodical, sweet time before committing.
    Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
  • Duncan’s daughter attends a private high school that so reliably sends its students to Stanford that even its principal isn’t above committing a bit of fraud to insure her own daughter’s place there.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Militant Islamist groups, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS, have demonstrated increasing sophistication in their use of UAVs, employing them not only for reconnaissance but also for complex attack operations.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
  • However, a different metric from ADP that tracks slightly larger businesses (those employing between one and 19 people) finds an increase of 526,000 jobs last year.
    Matt Egan, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • But in hiring the three-time Stanley Cup winner, the Ducks earned credibility in terms of coaching acumen and became an attraction for players.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Notably absent from the SEC’s motion to freeze Kapoor’s assets and its civil complaint was any mention of his hiring Suarez as a consultant for URBIN while the Location Ventures affiliate was seeking approval from City Hall for a residential and retail project at Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • The girls follow his trail of tears to Divine (Erika Alexander), a charismatic preacher still in the carnal thrall of her time with their father.
    Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026
  • Also look for Janelle Monáe, who’s both amusing and charismatic as a spoiled trophy wife.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Engaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engaging. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on engaging

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster