engage

«engage» in Mova's judaism dictionary: To take part or get involved in something: «engage in a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (engage, engages, engaged, engaging)

meaning for a pupil

1) To take part or get involved in something: «engage in a discussion». tree →

2) To catch and keep someone's interest or attention: «The story engaged the class.» tree →

3) (formal) To employ someone to do a job: «engage a builder». tree →

4) (of machinery) To fit together and start working: «The gears engage.» tree →

5) (formal) To start fighting with an enemy. tree →

6) (formal) To promise or agree to do something. tree →

sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it means to fight bravely in battle. A prophet tells King Amaziah that bravery will not save him if God is against him. Interpretation: The verse is read as teaching that victory comes from God and not from strength or numbers alone. In the primary lessons: In school, teachers try to «engage pupils»; pupils «engage with» a text by thinking about it. In everyday life, «engaged» means promised to marry, and a UK phone or toilet that is «engaged» is busy or occupied. In science and design, gears engage to turn wheels. Phrases: «engage in», «engage with», «engage someone's attention», «engage the brake».

examples

• But if thou wilt go, and do engage never so valiantly in battle, God will cast thee down before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down.' (Writings 2CH.25.8, JPS 1917) tree →
• The teacher used puppets to engage the younger children. tree →
• Pupils engaged in a lively debate about school uniform. tree →
• (formal) We engaged a plumber to fix the pipe. tree →
• When you press the pedal, the gears engage. tree →
• Try to engage with the story by asking questions. tree →
• The army engaged the enemy at dawn. tree →
• The game is so engaging I forgot the time. tree →
• But I must tell you I engage my labourers without wages. tree →

note

Adjective forms: «engaged» (busy, or promised to marry) and «engaging» (interesting, charming). Noun: «engagement». Pattern: «engage in + noun/-ing», «engage with + someone/something». Formal compared with «take part».

In the corpora

• Being engaged means two people have promised to marry each other, and a ring is often given as a sign of the promise.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «engage» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.