engineer
A mechanical engineer
a person whose job is to design or build machines, engines, or electrical equipment, or things such as roads, railways, or bridges, using scientific principles
a mechanical engineer
Oxford Essential Dictionary
engineer
noun
a person whose job is to plan, make or repair things like machines, roads or bridges:
My brother is an electrical engineer.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
engineer
I. noun
I. en‧gi‧neer1 S3 W3 /ˌendʒəˈnɪə, ˌendʒɪˈnɪə $ -ˈnɪr/ noun [countable]
1. someone whose job is to design or build roads, bridges, machines etc
mechanical/electrical/software etc engineer
• He trained as a civil engineer (=one who designs and builds roads, bridges etc).
2. someone whose job is to take care of the engines on a ship or aircraft
3. British English someone whose job is to repair electrical equipment or machines
service/maintenance engineer
4. American English someone whose job is driving a train
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
engineer
en·gin·eer [engineer engineers engineered engineering] noun, verb [ˌendʒɪˈnɪə(r)] [ˌendʒɪˈnɪr]
noun
1. a person whose job involves designing and building engines, machines, roads, bridges, etc.
see also chemical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, lighting engineer, mechanical engineer, software engineer, sound engineer
2. a person who is trained to repair machines and electrical equipment
• They're sending an engineer to fix the phone.
3. a person whose job is to control and repair engines, especially on a ship or an aircraft
• a flight engineer
• the chief engineer on a cruise liner
4. (NAmE) (BrE ˈengine driver) a person whose job is driving a railway/railroad engine
5. a soldier trained to design and build military structures
Word Origin:
Middle English (denoting a designer and constructor of fortifications and weapons; formerly also as ingineer): in early use from Old French engigneor, from medieval Latin ingeniator, from ingeniare ‘contrive, devise’, from Latin ingenium ‘talent, device’, from in- ‘in’ + gignere ‘beget’; in later use from French ingénieur or Italian ingegnere, also based on Latin ingenium, with the ending influenced by -eer.
Example Bank:
• We were on the phone with a technical support engineer.
• You need the advice of a qualified engineer.
• engineers who designed and built advanced military aircraft
• a chemical/civil/electrical/mechanical engineer
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
engineer / ˌen.dʒɪˈnɪə r / / -ˈnɪr / noun [ C ]
A2 a person whose job is to design or build machines, engines, or electrical equipment, or things such as roads, railways, or bridges, using scientific principles:
a civil engineer
a mechanical/structural engineer
a software engineer
a person whose job is to repair or control machines, engines, or electrical equipment:
a computer engineer
The engineer is coming to repair our phone tomorrow morning.
US an engine driver
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
engineer
/endʒɪnɪə(r)/
(engineers, engineering, engineered)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An engineer is a person who uses scientific knowledge to design, construct, and maintain engines and machines or structures such as roads, railways, and bridges.
N-COUNT
see also chemical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, sound engineer
2.
An engineer is a person who repairs mechanical or electrical devices.
They send a service engineer to fix the disk drive.
N-COUNT
3.
An engineer is a person who is responsible for maintaining the engine of a ship while it is at sea.
N-COUNT
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1en·gi·neer /ˌɛnʤəˈniɚ/ noun, pl -neers [count]
1 : a person who has scientific training and who designs and builds complicated products, machines, systems, or structures : a person who specializes in a branch of engineering
• Design engineers are working on ways to make the cars run more efficiently.
• a mechanical/civil/electrical engineer
• a software engineer
2 a : a person who runs or is in charge of an engine in an airplane, a ship, etc.
• a flight engineer
b US : a person who runs a train
• The engineer stopped the train.
c Brit : a person who is trained to repair electrical or mechanical equipment
• The telephone engineer [=(US) repairman] soon got my phone working again.
3 : a soldier who builds roads, bridges, etc.
• Army engineers were called in to construct the canal.
