ENGA'GEMENT, noun The act of pawning, pledging or making liable for debt.

1. Obligation by agreement or contract. Men are often more ready to make engagements than to fulfil them.

2. Adherence to a party or cause; partiality.

3. Occupation; employment of the attention.

Play, by too long or constant engagement becomes

like an employment or profession.

4. Employment in fighting; the conflict of armies or fleets; battle; a general action; appropriately the conflict of whole armies or fleets, but applied to actions between small squadrons or single ships, rarely to a fight between detachments of land forces.

5. Obligation; motive; that which engages.