preoccupy
Americanverb (used with object)
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to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
-
to occupy beforehand or before others.
verb
-
to engross the thoughts or mind of
-
to occupy before or in advance of another
Other Word Forms
- overpreoccupy verb (used with object)
- preoccupier noun
Etymology
Origin of preoccupy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We’d apparently run out of hot water while I sat on the floor staring at that message, and I inhaled hard as icy water jolted me out of my preoccupied fog.
From Literature
But at least it has a precedent, unlike the AI apocalypse that preoccupies folks now.
With its opulent Beverly Hills mansions, sports cars around every corner, plastic surgeons aplenty and a culture and economy steeped in entertainment, this city has long seemed preoccupied with surface appearances.
The musk ox was often too preoccupied with . . . well, himself, and his reflection in the large pond.
From Literature
While her classmates were preoccupied with exams, the May ball and where to spend their summers, Franks was worried about making her rent.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
