preoccupy
verb (used with object)
to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
were preoccupying
-
past progressiveof preoccupy.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
In Nairobi she was “in retreat, but not defeat,” she said, but the loss, and years ahead living in self-imposed exile, were preoccupying her.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2021
At the very time he was writing them, he was planning and sketching works, the scope of which reveals the true bent of his genius, and of the ideals that were preoccupying him.
From The Youth of Goethe by Peter Hume Brown
