preoccupation
Americannoun
-
the state of being preoccupied, esp mentally
-
something that holds the attention or preoccupies the mind
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of preoccupation
1530–40; < Latin praeoccupātiōn- (stem of praeoccupātiō ) a taking possession beforehand. See pre-, occupation
Explanation
Preoccupation is a state where you're absorbed in something. You may have a preoccupation with video games or Hello Kitty, for example, if you can't keep your mind off those things. We all have our preoccupations: ideas and things that we just can't stop thinking about. Just as an occupation means someone is living somewhere, a preoccupation is an idea that's moved in to our minds. One person's preoccupation might be making more money, while another person's preoccupation could be learning to ride a motorcycle. We can also say that someone who is engrossed or absorbed in something is in a state of preoccupation; they're preoccupied.
Vocabulary lists containing preoccupation
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
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Tuesdays with Morrie
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And Then There Were None
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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:
Late in life, Darwin became infatuated with earthworms, a fitting preoccupation for an aging naturalist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
A preoccupation with what others have on their shelves might be purely aesthetic, but often conveys something more, like a sense of judgment.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
The preoccupation with sizes, in particular, was something many international fans remarked about when interviewed by the BBC about their reflections on visiting America.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
"People taking these drugs for obesity often describe a quieting of 'food noise,' the persistent preoccupation with food that drives overeating," Al-Aly said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Jenny noticed his preoccupation at supper that night.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Coppola filled the film tip-to-couture-heeled-toe with songs from ’80s punk and new wave groups, creating a throughline between her own teenage preoccupations and the adolescent Queen of France’s frivolities.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Underneath an artist’s preoccupations with sex, society, religion, etc.,” the narrator insists, “there is a soul tortured beyond endurance by the lack of tenderness in the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
In sum, they open a window into the administration’s ideological preoccupations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The preoccupations of a regional power are different to the much broader global challenges faced by the US.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
And, naturally, the crucial topics for the new science corresponded neatly with the professional preoccupations of seventeenth-century mathematicians: astronomy/astrology, navigation, cartography, surveying, architecture, ballistics and hydraulics.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
