preoccupy
Americanverb (used with object)
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preoccupies,
present (3rd person singular)
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preoccupied,
past participle, past
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preoccupying
present participle
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to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
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to occupy beforehand or before others.
verb
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to engross the thoughts or mind of
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to occupy before or in advance of another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preoccupysimple
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preoccupiessimple
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have preoccupiedperfect
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has preoccupiedperfect
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am preoccupyingprogressive
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are preoccupyingprogressive
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is preoccupyingprogressive
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have been preoccupyingperfect progressive
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has been preoccupyingperfect progressive
Past
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preoccupiedsimple
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had preoccupiedperfect
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was preoccupyingprogressive
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were preoccupyingprogressive
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had been preoccupyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of preoccupy
Explanation
Things that preoccupy you engross or enthrall you — they suck up all of your attention and energy, sometimes to an unhealthy degree. Your upcoming math test might preoccupy you, making it difficult for you to concentrate in English class. For some teenagers, thoughts about how they appear to others can easily preoccupy them, while others let their concern about grades and college applications preoccupy them. It's important to spend some time thinking about these things, but allowing them to preoccupy you can be stressful and unpleasant. Preoccupy comes from the Latin word praeoccupare, "seize beforehand."
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
See Examples For:
We design our standards to ensure no one will lose; we preoccupy ourselves more with the comfort of the worst than the potential of the best.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
In his podcast comments, Vance also clarified that such thoughts did not preoccupy him.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“If the Iran situation lingers, it will preoccupy more and more of Congress’ time,” said Stifel Chief Washington Strategist Brian Gardner.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
What will preoccupy us in a century, fuel our ambitions and stir our fears, will probably be something we can’t even imagine today.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025
The former thought might preoccupy professors in departments of psychology, and their colleagues in the neighboring departments of neuroscience.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
This season, an event of global significance preoccupies the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House: Their branch office in Hong Kong has fallen into the street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
This is a really critical piece that preoccupies me: what that does to our ability to organize and be in solidarity.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2023
It's an issue that preoccupies the German government too.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2022
What really preoccupies the president, however, was summed up in a quieter passage that came near the end of the speech, one that didn’t get as much notice.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2022
This preoccupies her, it’s her own mystery that she hasn’t been able to solve.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
"Maxxing is the linguistic manifestation of a culture increasingly preoccupied with getting the most out of everything," said Steve Johnson, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Policymakers preoccupied with near-term fuel supplies may find it easier to tune out the sound of chainsaws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Investors have been preoccupied with Muse’s impressive adoptions stats.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
In June, I became briefly preoccupied with the question of what kind of reader I intended to be that summer.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Isn’t it awful of me to be so preoccupied with myself?
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
With the use of personal data by AI models preoccupying authorities, particularly in Europe, Berners-Lee has made data protection his main cause in recent years, notably through the startup Inrupt.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
An unremarkable-looking plan for a new factory in Poland cuts to the heart of big questions that are preoccupying governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
So much so that the dread itself becomes preoccupying, all-enveloping, claustrophobic.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
“What is preoccupying my brain, my everything, is just the fear of what’s going to happen next,” he said in an interview.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
Phineas had one of those minds which could record what is happening in the background and do nothing about it because something else was preoccupying him.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
