engross Meaning, Definition & Usage

verb devote (oneself) fully to
plunge; immerse; absorb; soak up; engulf; steep.
- He immersed himself into his studies
verb consume all of one's attention or time
absorb; engage; occupy.
- Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely

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.

imperfect & past participle Engrossed ; present participle & verbal noun Engrossing

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.
To amass. Obs.
To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf. Shak.
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.
To seize in the gross; to take the whole of; to occupy wholly; to absorb; as, the subject engrossed all his thoughts.
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. Syn. -- To absorb; swallow up; imbibe; consume; exhaust; occupy; forestall; monopolize. See Absorb.