Synonyms

preoccupy

American

[pree-ok-yuh-pahy] / priˈɒk yəˌpaɪ /

verb (used with object)

preoccupied, preoccupying

to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
to occupy beforehand or before others.

preoccupy British

/ priːˈɒkjʊˌpaɪ /

verb

to engross the thoughts or mind of
to occupy before or in advance of another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

overpreoccupy verb (used with object)
preoccupier noun

Etymology

Origin of preoccupy

First recorded in 1560–70; pre- + occupy

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.

“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

Numbers don’t preoccupy me as much as they did my father, but I still find them fascinating.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

They could help or hinder: provide the moral force for urgent action or preoccupy us with crisis management.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2024

I had to preoccupy myself with something, anything, to silence the voice in my head.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023