What does engross mean?
Engross is a verb with two principal meanings. Its dominant sense today is to hold someone's attention completely: a gripping novel, a tense match, or a fascinating task can be said to engross the person absorbed in it. This sense appears most naturally as the participial forms 'engrossed' (she was engrossed in her work) and 'engrossing' (an engrossing documentary), which carry strongly positive connotations of deep, willing involvement. The word's older and more specialized sense belongs to law: to engross a document is to write out its final, authoritative version — an 'engrossed' deed or contract — ready for signature. Historically, engross also referred to buying up goods in bulk, a practice once viewed as monopolistic. The word derives from Old French 'gros', meaning large or coarse, via Anglo-French 'engrosser'. It is standard across both British and American English and suits formal as well as everyday writing.
To occupy someone's attention entirely; to absorb fully.
"The intricate plot engrossed him so completely that he read through the night."
Most frequently encountered as 'engrossed in' or 'engrossing'.
(Law) To write out a document in its final, formal form.
"Once terms were agreed, the solicitor engrossed the conveyance for execution."
Confined chiefly to legal contexts.
The word you use when a book 'swallows' your whole evening originally meant buying up wholesale — from Old French 'gros', meaning large or bulky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of engross
Engross entered English in the late Middle Ages from Anglo-French 'engrosser', built on Old French 'gros', meaning large, thick, or coarse. It first meant to buy up commodities in gross — that is, wholesale — which gave rise to accusations of 'engrossing' markets, a practice condemned under old English statutes. A related sense developed of writing something 'in large characters', which led to the legal meaning of producing a fair, final copy of a document. The figurative sense of wholly absorbing the attention grew from these ideas of total occupation and became the word's most common modern use.
Related word forms
How engross is actually used
Almost always used as the participle adjective 'engrossed' followed by 'in' (engrossed in conversation, engrossed in thought). The bare verb is somewhat formal; the legal sense of preparing an engrossed copy survives mainly in legal and historical contexts.
Easily confused with engross
'Enormous' means extremely large in size, while 'engross' is a verb meaning to absorb someone's complete attention or to write out a document in final form.