engaged

The word “engaged” means having formally agreed to marry someone. In plain terms, committed to marry, busy/interested, or (for a phone) already in use.

“Engaged” is pronounced ihn-GAYJD (/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒd/ in IPA).

Here is “engaged” used in a sentence: “They got engaged after five years together.”

“Engaged” is an adjective.

“Engaged” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Engaged” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: having formally agreed to marry someone.

To be engaged means two people have formally agreed to marry, usually marking the promise with a proposal and often a ring. The engagement is the period between agreeing to marry and the wedding itself. It signals a public, serious commitment to building a future together.

Being engaged means a couple has agreed to marry but has not yet done so — they are still planning the wedding. Being married means the marriage has legally and formally taken place. Engagement is the promise; marriage is the fulfilment of it. One always comes before the other.

Yes. Apart from agreeing to marry, engaged can mean busy or occupied — a person engaged in work — or, in British English, that a phone line or toilet is in use. It can also mean actively involved or interested. Context makes clear which sense applies each time.

In the marriage sense, the opposite is single, unattached, or unengaged — not committed to marry anyone. Someone whose engagement has ended may say it was broken off. These terms all describe the absence of the formal promise to marry that being engaged represents.