engross
Americanverb (used with object)
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to occupy completely, as the mind or attention; absorb.
Their discussion engrossed his attention.
She is engrossed in her work.
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to write or copy in a clear, attractive, large script or in a formal manner, as a public document or record.
to engross a deed.
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to acquire the whole of (a commodity), in order to control the market; monopolize.
verb
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to occupy one's attention completely; absorb
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to write or copy (manuscript) in large legible handwriting
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law to write or type out formally (a deed, agreement, or other document) preparatory to execution
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another word for corner
Other Word Forms
- engrossed adjective
- engrossedly adverb
- engrosser noun
- reengross verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of engross
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English engros(s)en “to gather in large quantities, draft (a will, etc.) in final form,” from Anglo-French engrosser, partly from Medieval Latin ingrossāre “to thicken, write large and thick” ( Latin in- in- 2 + gross(us) “thick” + -āre infinitive suffix); partly from Anglo-French, Middle French en gros “in quantity, wholesale,” from Latin in + grossus; gross
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scott Eyman faces a triple challenge in his richly engrossing biography “Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face.”
Anthony Gottlieb sums him up in an engrossing biography, “Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes,” writing that “his charismatic gift was to be halting, self-deprecating and imperious all at the same time.”
Mr. Steele is also engrossed by the meltdown at the Heritage Foundation.
So it feels fitting the pair's battle for supremacy in 2025 - like all engrossing stories - will have a gripping final chapter.
From BBC
For much of the summer, though, he was engrossed in something else.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
