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engagement

en-GAYJ-muhnt /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ.mənt/

nounB2IELTSTOEFL

businesssocial media

The level of interaction, involvement, and emotional investment a customer has with a brand or its content.

Measured by likes, shares, comments, or time spent on a page; it’s about depth of connection.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Old French 'engager', meaning to bind by a pledge or to put something under 'gage' (pawn). When you engage an audience, you are essentially holding their attention as a pledge.

Word relationships

interaction: Interaction is a neutral exchange; engagement implies a deeper, more meaningful connection.

indifference: A total lack of interest or interaction.

Commonly confused with

reach: Reach is how many people saw it; engagement is how many people cared enough to act.

Word family

engage (verb): To occupy, attract, or involve someone's interest.

Collocations

user engagement
customer engagement
engagement rate

Idioms & expressions

rules of engagement

Example sentences

"High reach is useless if your engagement is zero; you need people to actually talk back to you." Social media strategy.
"The company is focusing on employee engagement to reduce turnover and boost morale." Employee relations.

Memory hook

When you are 'engaged', you are 'locked in' to a relationship. Attention as a pledge.

When not to use

Don't confuse with a marriage engagement, though both imply a 'promise' of attention.

Fun facts

In the 17th century, 'engagement' was a common term for a military battle.

Related words

retention, conversion

Explore more words

take action, activism, pluralism, workshop, absorption, inclusion