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busy

[ biz-ee ]
/ ˈbɪz i /
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See synonyms for: busy / busied / busier / busiest on Thesaurus.com

adjective, bus·i·er, bus·i·est.
verb (used with object), bus·ied, bus·y·ing.
to keep occupied; make or keep busy: In summer, he busied himself keeping the lawn in order.
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Origin of busy

before 1000; Middle English busi, bisi,Old English bysig, bisig; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch besich,Dutch bezig

synonym study for busy

1. Busy, diligent, industrious imply active or earnest effort to accomplish something, or a habitual attitude of such earnestness. Busy means actively employed, temporarily or habitually: a busy official. Diligent suggests earnest and constant effort or application, and usually connotes fondness for, or enjoyment of, what one is doing: a diligent student. Industrious often implies a habitual characteristic of steady and zealous application, often with a definite goal: an industrious clerk working for promotion.

OTHER WORDS FROM busy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use busy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for busy

busy
/ (ˈbɪzɪ) /

adjective busier or busiest
actively or fully engaged; occupied
crowded with or characterized by activitya busy day
mainly US and Canadian (of a room, telephone line, etc) in use; engaged
overcrowded with detaila busy painting
meddlesome; inquisitive; prying
verb busies, busying or busied
(tr) to make or keep (someone, esp oneself) busy; occupy

Derived forms of busy

busyness, noun

Word Origin for busy

Old English bisig; related to Middle Dutch besich, perhaps to Latin festīnāre to hurry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with busy

busy

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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