preoccupation
Americannoun
-
the state of being preoccupied, esp mentally
-
something that holds the attention or preoccupies the mind
Other Word Forms
- overpreoccupation noun
- self-preoccupation noun
Etymology
Origin of preoccupation
1530–40; < Latin praeoccupātiōn- (stem of praeoccupātiō ) a taking possession beforehand. See pre-, occupation
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.
Tante Jans’s preoccupation with death might have been funny, but it wasn’t.
From Literature
I’d gone only a few steps when I noticed something gray shoved into one of the well-manicured hedges, and despite my preoccupation I paused to grab it.
From Literature
This preoccupation resurfaces at Regen in a large-scale print of 2023’s “Flight Honolulu to Guam,” revealing a star field above the clouds.
From Los Angeles Times
The jobs report may overshadow the market’s recent preoccupation on just how much artificial intelligence will damage the growth prospects for software and other industries.
From MarketWatch
Instead, Mr. Oliver suggests, among other things, meditation and yoga, explaining how these Eastern practices can help up transcend our personal preoccupations and loosen the constraints of the ego’s self-obsession.
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.
