noun

engineer

ehn-zhih-NEER

noun

A person professionally trained to design, build, or maintain machines, structures, or systems.

"The bridge was designed by a team of structural engineers."

"She retrained as a software engineer after ten years in marketing."

A person who operates an engine, especially the driver of a train (chiefly US) or the operator of a ship's engine room.

"The engineer sounded the horn as the train approached the crossing."

verb

To design, build, or carefully arrange something using skill and planning.

"The whole merger was engineered by a handful of senior executives."

"They engineered a clever workaround for the software bug."

How to Use Engineer

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone who applies technical skill to build or fix things, or (as a verb) to cleverly arrange an outcome.

Common mistake

In British English, "engineer" for a train driver is unusual — that sense is mainly American; the UK normally says "train driver".

Common pairings

civil engineer software engineer engineer a solution chief engineer

engineered past tense, engineers plural, engineers singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The bridge was designed by a team of structural _____.

From Old French engigneor, "one who builds or operates war machines" — from the same root as "engine" and "ingenious".

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