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.

An ally of the prime minister tells me for several months those have been No 10's preoccupations.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Soon Conor’s two preoccupations will unite in an offbeat way when a bug gets crushed in his slow-acting printer while it’s gurgling out a portrait.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

It was one of 10 words on a shortlist to reflect the mood, language and preoccupations of 2025.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

I need to spend time walking in locals’ footsteps and listening to their preoccupations.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

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