as in to fascinate
to be thought about or worried about by (someone) very often or constantly
The question of life after death has preoccupied many philosophers.
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Recent Examples of preoccupy
Gemma has been preoccupied with her efforts to publicly atone for creating a murderous AI doll, and so Cady has had to get crafty in order to explore her budding interest in coding.
—
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025
To preoccupy is to dominate or engross the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Yet he is also preoccupied with instilling a sense of idealism and conviction in both the party and the rest of the Chinese population.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
But all that will change once the future of humanity is called into question by an otherworldly threat, and the actual Justice League is preoccupied/unable to save the day.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025
To preoccupy is to dominate or engross the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Yet he is also preoccupied with instilling a sense of idealism and conviction in both the party and the rest of the Chinese population.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
But all that will change once the future of humanity is called into question by an otherworldly threat, and the actual Justice League is preoccupied/unable to save the day.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
Verb
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Long fascinated by the moa, Jackson and Walsh have been collecting bones of the extinct bird for years.—
Degen Pener,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
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Michael Karin has long been fascinated by what happens when inflammation — ideally a short-term burst of biological activity to promote healing or fight infection — turns chronic and potentially deadly.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Use LinkedIn’s alumni search to find people in industries or roles that interest you.—
Jill Tipograph,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Sign up here and bet $5 on Mariners-Yankees, Mets-Orioles or any other matchup that interests you, and get $150 in bonus bets credited to your account if your initial wager wins.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Verb
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There are dozens of other items that may intrigue, plus old photos that enhance the presentation.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 June 2025
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But what intrigues me about Johnstone are the jokes that barely involve M3GAN at all.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
Verb
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The legal fight threatens to distract from the group's goals in a state where Democrats already struggle to adequately field and fund candidates.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
14 July 2025
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This all, of course, was not to distract from the center of her makeup look: a matte red lip.—
Essence,
Essence,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Interrogating the ways different myths occupy their own unique spaces establishes pathways into existences of literary immortality, offering prisms into the art of storytelling.—
Irenosen Okojie
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
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Founded in 2006, the center had previously occupied a single, tiny room on the University Union’s first floor.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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