engage 100 examples

Engage in + activity (to take part in / to be involved in)

This structure shows active participation in an activity, habit, or process.

• She engaged in volunteer work every summer.
• He refused to engage in gossip.
• They engaged in trade talks.
• He was engaged in thought all afternoon.
• They were engaged in secret negotiations.
• The workers were engaged in repair work.
• He was deeply engaged in reading.
• They engaged in an intense discussion.
• They engaged in political discussions.
• The couple was engaged in conversation.

👉 Common in formal, academic, and business English when describing participation.

Engage with + person/thing (to interact, deal with, or connect)

This usage expresses communication, cooperation, or confrontation with someone or something.

• We must engage with customers to build trust.
• He prefers to engage with nature on weekends.
• Teachers are encouraged to engage with parents.
• He refused to engage with the media.
• The speaker tried to engage with the crowd.
• He refused to engage with extremists.
• He is always eager to engage with new ideas.
• The class quickly engaged with the activity.

👉 Often used in social, educational, and political contexts to show direct involvement.

Engage + person to do / as … (to hire or employ)

This meaning is about employment or contracting someone for a task.

• The company decided to engage a lawyer.
• She was engaged to design the new website.
• The firm engaged an expert to analyze the problem.
• The company engaged her as a translator.
• She was engaged as a consultant.
• The lawyer was engaged to handle the case.
• He was engaged to give a lecture.
• The lawyer was engaged by the family.
• The company engaged him for a special project.
• The lawyer was engaged to draft a contract.

👉 Still formal, commonly used in business, legal, and official settings.

Engage attention / interest / imagination (to attract and hold attention)

Here, engage means to capture someone’s focus or emotions.

• His story immediately engaged my attention.
• The book really engaged me from the first page.
• She tried to engage his interest with a joke.
• The lecture completely engaged my attention.
• She tried to engage his imagination.
• She tried to engage his sympathy.
• The professor tried to engage students in dialogue.
• The debate engaged the public’s attention.
• The marketing campaign really engaged the audience.
• The speaker managed to engage the audience emotionally.

👉 Very frequent in education, marketing, and storytelling.

Military / Conflict usage (to fight or confront)

This sense means to enter into combat or conflict.

• The army was ordered to engage the enemy.
• The soldiers were told to engage cautiously.
• The enemy engaged our forces at dawn.
• The army decided to engage immediately.
• The troops were ordered to engage at once.
• The soldier had to engage in combat.

👉 Common in military reports, history, or news.

Mechanical usage (gears, machines) (to interlock or fit into place)

Here, engage describes mechanical parts connecting or functioning.

• The gears didn’t engage properly.
• He failed to engage the machine correctly.
• The gears finally engaged smoothly.
• The gears engaged with a click.
• The machine didn’t engage when switched on.
• The gears failed to engage correctly.
• The gears suddenly engaged.
• The gears engaged with ease.

👉 A technical use, often in engineering and mechanics.

General involvement (miscellaneous uses)

This group shows engage in broader or mixed contexts.

• The teacher tried to engage the students with a fun activity.
• He always manages to engage people in conversation.
• The speaker struggled to engage the audience.
• The students quickly engaged in the discussion.
• The organization tries to engage young people in science.
• We need to engage the community in this project.
• The training session did not engage the participants.
• The brand aims to engage customers through social media.
• The museum works to engage children in art.
• The campaign aims to engage the public in recycling.
• The TV show failed to engage viewers.
• They tried to engage him in the plan.
• The novel didn’t engage me as much as I hoped.
• The charity works to engage donors.
• The company wants to engage students early.
• The committee was engaged on a report.
• The class was not engaged enough.
• The story failed to engage me.
• The software helps to engage users.
• The museum seeks to engage new audiences.
• The government will engage experts to study the issue.
• The firm tries to engage customers online.
• The conference aims to engage participants fully.
• The charity was able to engage thousands of supporters.

👉 General sense = “to involve, connect, or occupy”.

Summary

✅ So, in summary:

• Engage in = participate in activities.
• Engage with = interact/relate to people or ideas.
• Engage someone to/as = employ/hire.
• Engage attention = attract.
• Military sense = fight.
• Mechanical sense = interlock/activate.
• General sense = involve/occupy.