engineer

1 of 2

noun

en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈnir How to pronounce engineer (audio)
1
: a member of a military group devoted to engineering work
2
obsolete : a crafty schemer : plotter
3
a
: a designer or builder of engines
b
: a person who is trained in or follows as a profession a branch of engineering
c
: a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance
4
: a person who runs or supervises an engine or an apparatus

engineer

2 of 2

verb

engineered; engineering; engineers

transitive verb

1
: to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer
engineer a bridge
2
a
: to contrive or plan out usually with more or less subtle skill and craft
engineer a business deal
b
: to guide the course of
engineer a rally
3
: to modify or produce by genetic engineering
corn engineered to resist crop pests
Choose the Right Synonym for engineer

guide, lead, steer, pilot, engineer mean to direct in a course or show the way to be followed.

guide implies intimate knowledge of the way and of all its difficulties and dangers.

guided the scouts through the cave

lead implies showing the way and often keeping those that follow under control and in order.

led his team to victory

steer implies an ability to keep to a course and stresses the capacity of maneuvering correctly.

steered the ship through a narrow channel

pilot suggests guidance over a dangerous or complicated course.

piloted the bill through the Senate

engineer implies finding ways to avoid or overcome difficulties in achieving an end or carrying out a plan.

engineered his son's election to the governorship

Examples of engineer in a Sentence

Noun Design engineers are working on ways to make the cars run more efficiently. The engineer stopped the train. Army engineers were called in to construct the canal. Verb The rebels engineered a successful attack. the mayor engineered an agreement to have a major league team play in our city
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Omar Abbasi, a 34-year-old Bay Area software engineer, received one of those offers, partly due to his unpaid work as a moderator for Reddit’s sprawling gaming communities. Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 At the Vitaphone screening to provide context will be Rialto Pictures founder and co-president Bruce Goldstein, Warner Bros. postproduction engineers Steve Levy and Bob Weitz and Vitaphone expert Shane Fleming. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 Peyton Hayes is our audio production coordinator, Jake Loomis is our audio engineer, and Caitlin Brody and Sergio Kletnoy are our talent bookers. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 21 Mar. 2024 Karat, headquartered in Seattle, conducts virtual job interviews for companies including American Express, Citi, and Walmart using a network of freelance software engineers who hold interviews for that position. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 The company drew attention from federal investigators when, in 1996, one of its engineers on a Chinese contract to build a communications satellite distributed a review of a related rocket failure to a committee that included Chinese members. Robert D. Hershey Jr., New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 This led engineers to believe the spacecraft had broken apart or burned up during re-entry. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 The engineer loved to sing, and the idea for the machine came one morning at his electronics company in Tokyo after an employee heard his idle crooning and started teasing him. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 At early stages, engineers can provide feedback while testing the AI’s output. François Candelon, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Martin engineered much of Eternal Sunshine, which dropped March 8 and recently debuted atop the Billboard 200. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024 Apple AirTags are engineered with precision tracking capabilities that seamlessly connect with the Find My app on Apple devices for constant, real-time tracking of your belongings. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024 Boasting a total of 120 lumens and a warm light temperature of 2200K, these lights are engineered for durability. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2024 In Week 3, Dobbs engineered a 28-16 win over Dallas by going 17 of 21 for 189 yards and rushing for 55 yards on six carries. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 The bitchy bon mots might as well be engineered for portioning into TikTok-sized soundbites, the outrageous plot twists for drawing gasps in the group chat. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 But the wider internet audience can always be relied upon to overlook a creator’s self-awareness in posting the joke, and Barfly’s bathroom videos are indeed engineered to create uproar. Jonathan Dale / The Takeout, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024 California is looking for workers to fill multiple high-paying positions across a variety of agencies stationed in Sacramento County — from engineering to health care services. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Monk’s costume design impresses, as Elodie must use parts of her dress to engineer her way out of dire encounters with the dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) and the maze of its underground lair. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'engineer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English engineour, from Anglo-French, from enginer to devise, construct, from engin

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1635, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of engineer was circa 1635

Dictionary Entries Near engineer

Cite this Entry

“Engineer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engineer. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

engineer

1 of 2 noun
en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈni(ə)r How to pronounce engineer (audio)
1
: a member of a military group devoted to engineering work
2
a
: a designer or builder of engines
b
: a person who is trained in or follows as a profession a branch of engineering
3
: a person who runs or supervises an engine or technical machinery

engineer

2 of 2 verb
1
: to plan, build, or manage as an engineer
2
: to guide the course of
engineer a rally

Medical Definition

engineer

transitive verb
en·​gi·​neer ˌen-jə-ˈni(ə)r How to pronounce engineer (audio)
: to modify or produce by genetic engineering
insulin made by genetically engineered bacteriaTechnical Survey

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