busy
Americanadjective
-
busier,
comparative
-
busiest
superlative
-
actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime.
busy with her work.
- Synonyms:
- hardworking, assiduous
- Antonyms:
- indolent
-
not at leisure; otherwise engaged.
He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy.
- Antonyms:
- unoccupied
-
full of or characterized by activity.
a busy life.
-
(of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible.
-
officious; meddlesome; prying.
-
ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy.
The rug is too busy for this room.
verb (used with object)
-
busies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
busied,
past participle, past
-
busying
present participle
adjective
-
actively or fully engaged; occupied
-
crowded with or characterized by activity
a busy day
-
(of a room, telephone line, etc) in use; engaged
-
overcrowded with detail
a busy painting
-
meddlesome; inquisitive; prying
verb
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
busynessnoun
-
nonbusyadjective
-
overbusyadjective
-
superbusyadjective
-
unbusyadjective
-
well-busiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
busysimple
-
busiessimple
-
have busiedperfect
-
has busiedperfect
-
am busyingprogressive
-
are busyingprogressive
-
is busyingprogressive
-
have been busyingperfect progressive
-
has been busyingperfect progressive
Past
-
busiedsimple
-
had busiedperfect
-
was busyingprogressive
-
were busyingprogressive
-
had been busyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of busy
First recorded before 950; Middle English busi, bisi, Old English bysig, bisig; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch besich, Dutch bezig
Explanation
When you're busy, you have things to do. You're occupied and probably not bored. This word always means there's some kind of activity. When a phone line is busy, you can't get your call through. If you find the bathroom is busy, you'll have to wait it's free. When a supervisor is around, employees need to look busy. A busy intersection is loaded with traffic. If you're too busy playing basketball to finish your homework, your grades might suffer. It's good to be busy, but when people are too busy, they get stressed out.
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:
The shipbuilder expects its order wins to exceed its US$4.5 billion target in 2026, while its current order book should keep it busy through 2029, Ho adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
She’s in the midst of a busy day, with places to go and people to see.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
US Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will be too busy to attend a hearing ordered by President Donald Trump over mortgage fraud allegations, her lawyer said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Its cyan-colored vehicles will compete with Ubers, Lyfts and autonomous taxis to shuttle customers across busy streets and freeways.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
“She’s been running around busy with movie work, getting ready for the big fancy premiere on Thursday.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Each time it’s gotten busier and busier, too, so I think word of mouth is growing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It ushered in a new kind of fun that was fresher, busier and airier than past listservs and chatrooms, the dank basements of internet interaction.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
He said it would be from Thursday onwards that hospitality businesses would see their premises become busier still, as the first part of the week was more competition focused.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Americans were living busier lives, with longer commutes, and as more women entered the workforce, getting domestic errands done efficiently became key.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
As the weeks pass I am busier than ever, working long days in the store and volunteering in the evenings, running the metal drives and organizing shipments for the Red Cross.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
With Christmas on the horizon, the toy industry in the US and elsewhere is about to have its busiest time of the year by far.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Strategic acquirers and tech giants have deployed $17.4 billion across 92 acquisitions through the third quarter, putting M&A activity on track for its busiest year on record.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The San Pedro Bay port complex is the busiest in the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
It was consistently the world’s busiest for international travel and connected fliers from risky countries such as Afghanistan and Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
I had stuffed them all down the space between the bed and the wall in two of the busiest minutes of my life.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
In addition to helping customers with their plant selections, Mejia also rings them up at the register and then busies herself with tidying and organizing the shop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Nouman busies himself with scouring the ground for twigs and bits of wood to make a fire.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
She and care worker Michelle Rispin laugh and joke with each other, as Michelle busies herself checking Kath has the food and help she needs.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2023
Jack, meanwhile, busies his hands calling up images on his impressive machine.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2023
All that spring and into the summer, Helmuth busies himself with the Jungvolk—its meetings and games and weekend hiking and camping trips.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
This is not the first time Ford has busied itself with defence work.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
An image published on social media by Iranian embassies abroad put Ghalibaf centre stage in the Iranian negotiating team, looking animated and gesturing with his hand, as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi busied himself with teacups.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
That is something Mr. Nguyen experienced personally when he busied himself pursuing publication in highly ranked journals instead of writing about what he truly loved: the philosophy of games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
As Garcia busied himself with “The Grateful Dead Movie,” hoping a theatrical release of October 1974 shows at the Winterland would satisfy audiences wanting to see live Dead, Lesh entered an aimless period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
Gigi glanced at Layla, who busied herself folding an already dirty burp cloth.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
Really though, you are only busying yourself and putting off the inevitable trek back home for a few more minutes.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2025
Meanwhile, the Mariners hitters were busying being stymied by the Nationals young lefty MacKenzie Gore.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
Murdoch was also busying himself growing his operations in the US, where he gained a foothold in 1976 with US tabloid the New York Post.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
Perez found that she, like her mother, didn’t know how to stop busying herself to rest or be present with her children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, grabbing paper towels from the kitchen and busying himself trying to blot the bits of coffee out of the carpet.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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