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:
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
With ‘Disclosure Day,’ the director returns to a longtime preoccupation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 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
A heavy air of preoccupation hung over him for days after his return, and I recall once, in reply to my inquiring how he had enjoyed his trip, his remarking: 'Disturbing, Stevens.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
In sum, they open a window into the administration’s ideological preoccupations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Besides appealing to what Disraeli’s later acolytes saw as the people’s inclination to a natural order, it reached around preoccupations with transforming institutions to tap into a deeper conservatism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The preoccupations of a regional power are different to the much broader global challenges faced by the US.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
But in demonstrating, if inadvertently, that even he couldn’t escape what Mr. Oliver calls the “obsessions, preoccupations, and mental loops that grip us so tightly,” the psychologist provided an important service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
She floated above them, gazing down neutrally, absently braiding them with other preoccupations.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
