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
-
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:
We design our standards to ensure no one will lose; we preoccupy ourselves more with the comfort of the worst than the potential of the best.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
In his podcast comments, Vance also clarified that such thoughts did not preoccupy him.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 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
Of course, the dreams that I had during my illness continued to preoccupy me.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
But it’s the fighters’ first encounter, in 1936, that preoccupies “The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 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
It's an issue that preoccupies the German government too.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2022
This sort of shift in institutional thinking preoccupies Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, who was recently named the Peabody Essex Museum’s first female director in its 221-year history.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2021
This preoccupies her, it’s her own mystery that she hasn’t been able to solve.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
However, the main Tesla-related story is unrelated the group’s earnings, Mould says, with investors preoccupied by the company’s potential merger with SpaceX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
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
Hilliard said Bush was motivated by "financial greed" and was "so preoccupied with his own enrichment" he allowed the site to descend into an "appalling" state.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Thus preoccupied with worry and hazy minded from lack of sleep, Penelope gathered her fishing pole, bait, and bucket.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
So much so that the dread itself becomes preoccupying, all-enveloping, claustrophobic.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 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
Such difficulties as these tend to be all the more preoccupying nowadays because one does not have the means to discuss and corroborate views with one's fellow professionals in the way one once did.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
