engineer

noun
en·​gi·​neer | \ ˌen-jə-ˈnir How to pronounce engineer (audio) \

Definition of engineer

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a member of a military group devoted to engineering work
2 obsolete : a crafty schemer : plotter
3a : 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

verb
engineered; engineering; engineers

Definition of engineer (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer engineer a bridge
2a : 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

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Choose the Right Synonym for engineer

Verb

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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Yoav Landsman, SpaceIL’s senior systems engineer, hinted on Twitter that the team didn’t know at all about the payload. Loren Grush, The Verge, "Why stowaway creatures on the Moon confound international space law," 16 Aug. 2019 In Chukotka, Soviet bureaucrats, secret police, engineers, geologists, teachers, doctors, and veterinarians—foreigners were now a quarter of the peninsula’s population—could not expect shipments of beef, pork, and sausage to continue. Bathsheba Demuth, The New Yorker, "When the Soviet Union Freed the Arctic from Capitalist Slavery," 15 Aug. 2019 Soft costs range from paying the architect and engineers, inspection expenses , permits and fees, while hard costs include the pool and its nearby building that will house locker rooms, restrooms, a concession stand and storage. Andrew J. Campa, Glendale News-Press, "Costly Glendale High School pool appears headed toward reality," 9 Aug. 2019 Me, a regular, plain, balding engineer at a lab, a chemist. Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "Scores of Poles are revealing they are LGBT on Twitter after violent attacks on a pride parade," 31 July 2019 Martin Tajmar of the Technical University of Dresden had only preliminary results, but George Hathaway, an electrical engineer who runs his own consulting firm, had more data. Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, "The Good Kind of Crazy: The Quest for Exotic Propulsion," 29 July 2019 My father became an engineer through free tuition at Cooper Union, working on iconic projects in his home town: the Hayden Planetarium and the George Washington Bridge. Longreads, "An Ocean Away From the Sanctuary of Manhattan, Signs of Peaceful Coexistence," 29 July 2019 But the engineer in charge, Tomohisa Moridaira, suggested various possibilities, such as getting the robot to hold the Olympic torch using magnets. Yuri Kageyama, The Denver Post, "Olympic robots offer “virtual” attendance, help out on field," 28 July 2019 Walker, an engineer, previously declared bankruptcy and doesn’t use credit cards. NBC News, "Millions use Earnin to get cash before payday. Critics say the app is taking advantage of them.," 26 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Cullinan was engineered for desert travel, including reinforced drive and prop shafts. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV: a royal rite of passage," 2 Aug. 2019 Juul has defended the design of its products, saying they were engineered with adult smokers in mind. Author: Moriah Balingit, Anchorage Daily News, "E-cigarettes spawn a form of teen addiction that worries doctors, parents and schools," 26 July 2019 The Ranger missions were kamikaze-style; the spacecraft were engineered to streak straight toward the moon and capture as many images as possible before crashing onto its surface. Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "A brief history of moon exploration," 5 July 2019 This mid-range wrench is engineered and priced to satisfy a wide range of workers, ranging from DIY homeowners and backyard mechanics to pro contractors. Roy Berendsohn And Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "The 5 Best Cordless Impact Wrenches," 4 July 2019 The car’s parents helped engineer Germany’s tragic descent into war and genocide. Michael J. Coren, Quartz, "The Beetle, 81, is no more," 11 July 2019 Perry and Matthews ultimately partnered with the design team at Campbell Scientific to help them engineer and build six weather stations. National Geographic, "Inside the Everest expedition that built the world’s highest weather station," 27 June 2019 And the vote confirmed the collapse of the traditional French right and left that the young leader helped to engineer. The Economist, "France’s president kicks off a second round of reforms," 15 June 2019 Fresh off Woods’s stirring win at the Masters, this esteemed guru of technique can claim credit for helping to engineer one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history. Brian Costa, WSJ, "Tiger Woods Has Become His Own Greatest Coach," 9 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'engineer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of engineer

Noun

circa 1635, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for engineer

Noun

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

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More Definitions for engineer

engineer

noun

English Language Learners Definition of engineer

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who has scientific training and who designs and builds complicated products, machines, systems, or structures : a person who specializes in a branch of engineering
: a person who runs or is in charge of an engine in an airplane, a ship, etc.
US : a person who runs a train

engineer

verb

English Language Learners Definition of en