1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

engrosses

verb

present tense third-person singular of engross
as in intrigues
to hold the attention of a mystery story that will engross readers all the way to the surprise ending

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 engrosses And that unsettles and engrosses us. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engrosses
  1. intrigues
  2. immerses
  3. interests
  4. occupies
  5. fascinates
  6. involves
  7. attracts
  8. busies
Verb
  • The novel that will form the basis of Reacher’s now-in-production fifth season, 2015’s Make Me, finds Reacher visiting a midwestern hamlet called Mother’s Rest because the town’s name intrigues him.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As McQueen is about to call the police something in her raw honesty, her boldness, intrigues him.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigues
Verb
  • In Nobody Wants This, agnostic podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) begins an unexpected romance with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Brody), which shakes both their families as Joanne immerses herself in Noah’s culture and decides to convert to Judaism.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of a kitschy thatch and beach-bar aesthetic, Latitude 29 immerses visitors in polished antique woods that were specially commissioned by neo-tiki artists Bosko Hrnjak and Danny Gallardo.
    — Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of immerses
Verb
  • Try the version that interests you before worrying about whether everyone understands it.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Students begin with one scholarly article in JSTOR, usually from their discipline, and choose an idea, question, concept, argument, or even a citation that interests them.
    — Saurabh Anand, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of interests
Verb
  • While the ceasefire halted the heaviest fighting and humanitarian conditions have improved, the Israeli military has expanded its control of Gaza and now occupies some 60% of the territory.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • American Supercritical says its system occupies about one-tenth the space of a steam system.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of occupies
Verb
  • What fascinates me most isn't simply whether Wagner can squeeze 621 miles out of this massive battery.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Gauna has filmed hundreds, maybe thousands of great white sharks across Southern California, and still their every movement, every action, fascinates him.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascinates
Verb
  • Hurling is one of Ireland’s national sports, and involves moving a ball down the field, either by hitting it or carrying it for up to four steps.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Fault risk Perhaps the most surprising discovery involves the fault line itself.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of involves
Verb
  • Nixon embodies that for people, Dunn said, adding that her authenticity also attracts supporters.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Novelty attracts users when access is free or inexpensive; genuine value survives when customers pay more for less friction.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of attracts
Verb
  • Ruston anticipates Loco Coyote to be open Wednesday through Sundays, so locals can enjoy a few weekdays before the tourist crowd busies the restaurant during the weekends.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
  • Silberman also busies himself as chairman of the welcoming committee.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
Definition of busies

Browse Nearby Words

engrossers
engrosses
engrossing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Engrosses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engrosses. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of epistemic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All