Adjacent Words

Engross definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ENGRO'SS, v.t.
1. Primarily, to make thick or gross; to thicken. [Not now used.]
2. To make larger; to increase in bulk. [Not used.]
3. To seize in the gross; to take the whole; as, worldly cares engross the attention of most men, but neither business nor amusement should engross our whole time.
4. To purchase, with a view to sell again, either the whole or large quantities of commodities in market, for the purpose of making a profit by enhancing the price. Engrossing does not necessarily imply the purchase of the whole of any commodity, but such quantities as to raise the price, by diminishing the supplies in open market, and taking advantage of an increased demand.
5. To copy in a large hand; to write a fair, correct copy, in large or distinct, legible characters, for preservation or duration; as records of public acts, on paper or parchment.
6. To take or assume in undue quantities or degrees; as, to engross power.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: devote (oneself) fully to; "He immersed himself into his studies" [syn: steep, immerse, engulf, plunge, engross, absorb, soak up]
2: consume all of one's attention or time; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" [syn: absorb, engross, engage, occupy]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French engrosser to put (a legal document) in final form, from Medieval Latin ingrossare, from in grossam (put) into final form, literally, (written) in large (letter) Date: 15th century 1. a. to copy or write in a large hand b. to prepare the usually final handwritten or printed text of (an official document) 2. [Middle English, from Anglo-French engrosser, from en gros wholesale, in quantity] a. to purchase large quantities of (as for speculation) b. archaic amass, collect c. to take or engage the whole attention of ; occupy completely <ideas that have engrossed the minds of scholars for generations> • engrosser noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 absorb the attention of; occupy fully (engrossed in studying). 2 make a fair copy of a legal document. 3 reproduce (a document etc.) in larger letters or larger format. 4 archaic monopolize (a conversation etc.). Derivatives: engrossing adj. (in sense 1). engrossment n. Etymology: ME f. AF engrosser: senses 2 and 3 f. en in + grosse large writing: senses 1 and 4 f. en gros wholesale

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Engross En*gross", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Engrossed; p. pr. & vb. n. Engrossing.] [F., fr. pref. en- (L. in) + gros gross, grosse, n., an engrossed document: cf. OF. engrossir, engroissier, to make thick, large, or gross. See Gross.] 1. To make gross, thick, or large; to thicken; to increase in bulk or quantity. [Obs.] Waves . . . engrossed with mud. --Spenser. Not sleeping, to engross his idle body. --Shak. 2. To amass. [Obs.] To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf. --Shak. 3. To copy or write in a large hand (en gross, i. e., in large); to write a fair copy of in distinct and legible characters; as, to engross a deed or like instrument on parchment. Some period long past, when clerks engrossed their stiff and formal chirography on more substantial materials. --Hawthorne. Laws that may be engrossed on a finger nail. --De Quincey. 4. To seize in the gross; to take the whole of; to occupy wholly; to absorb; as, the subject engrossed all his thoughts. 5. To purchase either the whole or large quantities of, for the purpose of enhancing the price and making a profit; hence, to take or assume in undue quantity, proportion, or degree; as, to engross commodities in market; to engross power. Engrossed bill (Legislation), one which has been plainly engrossed on parchment, with all its amendments, preparatory to final action on its passage. Engrossing hand (Penmanship), a fair, round style of writing suitable for engrossing legal documents, legislative bills, etc. Syn: To absorb; swallow up; imbibe; consume; exhaust; occupy; forestall; monopolize. See Absorb.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Absorb, engage, occupy, take up. 2. Monopolize, forestall. 3. Copy in large hand, write out fair.

Moby Thesaurus

absorb, absorb the attention, adsorb, apply, arrest, assimilate, attract, become overweight, blot, blot up, busy, buy, buy back, buy in, buy into, buy off, buy on credit, buy up, captivate, catch, charm, chemisorb, chemosorb, come uppermost, complete a purchase, consume, copy, copy out, corner, digest, draft, draw up, drink, drink in, drink up, edit, enchant, enface, engage, engage the attention, engage the mind, engage the thoughts, engross the mind, engross the thoughts, enscroll, enthrall, exercise, fascinate, fat, fatten, fill, fill the mind, filter in, forestall, gain weight, gather flesh, grab, grip, hog, hold, hold spellbound, hold the interest, hypnotize, imbibe, immerse, indite, infiltrate, inscribe, involve, involve the interest, make a buy, make a recension, make out, mesmerize, monopolize, monopolize the thoughts, obsess, obsess the mind, occupy, occupy the attention, occupy the mind, osmose, pen, pencil, percolate in, pinguefy, plump, preoccupy, procure, purchase, push the pen, put in writing, put on weight, rebuy, recense, record, regrate, repurchase, revise, rewrite, scribe, scrive, scroll, seep in, seize the mind, sew up, slurp up, soak, soak in, soak up, sorb, spellbind, spill ink, spoil paper, sponge, superscribe, swill up, take in, take it all, take up, tie up, trace, transcribe, type, write, write down, write out