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To employ the attention and efforts of; to occupy; to engross; to draw on. Thus shall mankind his guardian care engage. Pope. Taking upon himself the difficult task of engaging him in conversation. Hawthorne.

That which engages; engrossing occupation; employment of the attention; obligation by pledge, promise, or contract; an enterprise embarked in; as, his engagements prevented his acceptance of any office. Religion, which is the chief engagement of our league. Milton.

Tending to draw the attention or affections; attractive; as, engaging manners or address. -- En*ga"ging*ly, adv. -- En*ga"ging*ness, n. Engaging and disengaging gear or machinery, that in which, or by means of which, one part is alternately brought into gear or out of gear with another part, as occasion may require.…

To engage the attention of agreeably; to amuse with that which makes the time pass pleasantly; to divert; as, to entertain friends with conversation, etc. The weary time she can not entertain. Shak.

table; a hospitable repast; a feast; a formal or elegant meal. (b) That which engages the attention agreeably, amuses or diverts, whether in private, as by conversation, etc., or in public, by performances of some kind; amusement. Theatrical entertainments conducted with greater elegance and refinement. Prescott.…

Watchful; alert. Vigilant and erect attention of mind. Hooker.

To avoid the notice of; to pass unobserved by; to evade; as, the fact escaped our attention. They escaped the search of the enemy. Ludlow.

To occupy the attention and effort of; to task; to tax, especially in a painful or vexatious manner; harass; to vex; to worry or make anxious; to affect; to discipline; as, exercised with pain. Where pain of unextinguishable fire Must exercise us without hope of end. Milton.

; her performance on the piano has expression. The imitators of Shakespeare, fixing their attention on his wonderful power of expression, have directed their imitation to this. M. Arnold.

One who manifests an exquisite attention to external appearance; one who is overnice in dress or ornament; a fop; a dandy.

Observation; oversight; watch; inspection; notice; attention; regard. "Keep eyes upon her." Shak. Booksellers . . . have an eye to their own advantage. Addison.

t or warm; ardor; warmth of feeling or devotion; eagerness. When you pray, let it be with attention, with fervency, and with perseverance. Wake.

the index mark [], used to direct special attention to the passage which follows. Hand over fist (Naut.), rapidly; hand over hand.

To hold steadily; to direct unwaveringly; to fasten, as the eye on an object, the attention on a speaker. Sat fixed in thought the mighty Stagirite. Pope. One eye on death, and one full fix'd on heaven. Young.

empt to gratify the self-love or vanity of, esp. by artful and interested commendation or attentions; to blandish; to cajole; to wheedle. When I tell him he hates flatterers, He says he does, being then most flattered. Shak. A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net for his feet. Prov. xxix. 5. Others he flat…

To treat with inattention or disregard; to slight; to neglect. Can a woman forget her sucking child . . . Yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Is. xlix. 15. To forget one's self. (a) To become unmindful of one's own personality; to be lost in thought. (b) To be entirely unselfish. (c) To be guilty of what…

Failure to bear in mind; careless omission; inattention; as, forgetfulness of duty.

Having the attention, thoughts, etc., absorbed in any matter, and the feelings more or less excited by it, as, to be full of some project. Every one is full of the miracles done by cold baths on decayed and weak constitutions. Locke.

One fond of paying attention to ladies.

Civility or polite attention to ladies; in a bed sense, attention or courtesy designed to win criminal favors from a female; freedom of principle or practice with respect to female virtue; intrigue.