Begin
Engage
Engage verb - To hold the attention of.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Neutral Female: In the Disney version, the hero and the villain are both shrunk down to toy size and then begin to engage in a swordfight while the normal-sized heroine watches them, very concerned.
Source: Theatre / Babes in Toyland -
Episode 17 even has feathers and rose petals fly about while the two engage in a verbal battle and later begin shooting at each other with weapons.
Source: Anime / Mawaru-Penguindrum - The druid spell Insect Plague is very useful when confronted with multiple mages, especially if you know the fight is coming and begin casting the spell before they engage.
Source: Shoot the Mage First
Cite this Source
Engage and Begin. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/begin/engage
Begin & Engage. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/begin/engage>.
Engage or Begin. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/begin/engage.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "begin" and "engage" have occurred on timeline