preoccupy
Americanverb (used with object)
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preoccupies,
present (3rd person singular)
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preoccupied,
past participle, past
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preoccupying
present participle
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to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
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to occupy beforehand or before others.
verb
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to engross the thoughts or mind of
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to occupy before or in advance of another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preoccupysimple
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preoccupiessimple
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have preoccupiedperfect
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has preoccupiedperfect
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am preoccupyingprogressive
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are preoccupyingprogressive
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is preoccupyingprogressive
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have been preoccupyingperfect progressive
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has been preoccupyingperfect progressive
Past
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preoccupiedsimple
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had preoccupiedperfect
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was preoccupyingprogressive
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were preoccupyingprogressive
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had been preoccupyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of preoccupy
Explanation
Things that preoccupy you engross or enthrall you — they suck up all of your attention and energy, sometimes to an unhealthy degree. Your upcoming math test might preoccupy you, making it difficult for you to concentrate in English class. For some teenagers, thoughts about how they appear to others can easily preoccupy them, while others let their concern about grades and college applications preoccupy them. It's important to spend some time thinking about these things, but allowing them to preoccupy you can be stressful and unpleasant. Preoccupy comes from the Latin word praeoccupare, "seize beforehand."
Vocabulary lists containing preoccupy
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:
In his podcast comments, Vance also clarified that such thoughts did not preoccupy him.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Acting involved pretending to be other people, whose own emotional states —such as she understood them — could preoccupy her for a time,” writes Cusk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
“If the Iran situation lingers, it will preoccupy more and more of Congress’ time,” said Stifel Chief Washington Strategist Brian Gardner.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
What will preoccupy us in a century, fuel our ambitions and stir our fears, will probably be something we can’t even imagine today.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025
I suppose I must have assumed those old problems had been left behind with our early teen years, and that only the big issues that now loomed so large could possibly preoccupy any of us.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
But at least it has a precedent, unlike the AI apocalypse that preoccupies folks now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
This is a really critical piece that preoccupies me: what that does to our ability to organize and be in solidarity.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2023
Behind Mr. Vucic’s levity over physical stature, however, lurks a serious question that torments the Balkans and preoccupies Western diplomats.
From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
From watching Indian movies, it would seem as if no issue preoccupies young Indians more than romantic love.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2021
What preoccupies me is immediate: the separation I endure with my parents in loss.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
In a campaign swing through the Rio Grande Valley, a heavily Latino part of the state, Hinojosa worked to shore up support among Latino voters preoccupied with the state of public education.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Investors have been preoccupied with Muse’s impressive adoptions stats.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The shift reflects the priorities of younger voters, who see the economy and the worsening security situation with China as bigger concerns than the battles over bases that preoccupied their parents and grandparents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Bush, 48, of Otley in West Yorkshire, was "preoccupied with his own enrichment", defrauded nearly 200 families out of £562,117 and "caused anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension", the judge said.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
At the top, I pull one of the bottles out of my belt and pretend I’m too preoccupied with drinking water to answer his question.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
With the use of personal data by AI models preoccupying authorities, particularly in Europe, Berners-Lee has made data protection his main cause in recent years, notably through the startup Inrupt.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
The future preoccupying him right now, though, is the 2026 harvest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
The debate over the timing of rate cuts is preoccupying policymakers at several major central banks.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
“What is preoccupying my brain, my everything, is just the fear of what’s going to happen next,” he said in an interview.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
As worrying as the family’s financial state was to Regina, her concerns about Bobby’s mental health, personality, and behavior eventually became preoccupying.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
