en·gi·neer
ˌen-jə-ˈnir 
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
engineered; engineering; engineers
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
Synonyms
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
Ina Fried, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
Then, in 1452, a Hungarian artillery engineer proposed to Emperor Constantine XI the construction of a giant cannon that, firing from behind the defensive walls, would pulverize attackers.
—Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
Jack Magruder, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Brock Purdy engineered a last-minute drive that left it up to Jake Moody, who made a 44-yard field goal as time expired to atone for three earlier misses.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for engineer 
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Noun
Toyota and Microsoft said the carmaker will deploy a series of Microsoft's AI agents that its engineers can use to improve a car's performance in areas such as fuel efficiency or limiting vibration.
—Ina Fried, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
Then, in 1452, a Hungarian artillery engineer proposed to Emperor Constantine XI the construction of a giant cannon that, firing from behind the defensive walls, would pulverize attackers.
—Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
Verb
Russell Wilson engineered an offense that moved the ball well enough to set up Chris Boswell’s franchise record-tying six field goals, and the defense stifled the Ravens.
—Jack Magruder, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Brock Purdy engineered a last-minute drive that left it up to Jake Moody, who made a 44-yard field goal as time expired to atone for three earlier misses.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for engineer
Dictionary Entries Near engineer
Cite this Entry
“Engineer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engineer. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
engineer
1 of 2 noun
en·gi·neer
ˌen-jə-ˈni(ə)r
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 verb1
: 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
: to modify or produce by genetic engineering
insulin made by genetically engineered bacteria—Technical Survey
Technical SurveyLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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