preoccupy

verb

pre·​oc·​cu·​py (ˌ)prē-ˈä-kyə-ˌpī 

preoccupied; preoccupying; preoccupies

transitive verb

1

: to engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or preferentially

2

: to take possession of or fill beforehand or before another

Examples of preoccupy in a Sentence

The question of life after death has preoccupied many philosophers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement The rapid advance by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria’s President Bashar Assad, who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. —Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

But Russia is now preoccupied with its own war in Ukraine, and Iran and Hezbollah have been worn down by fighting with Israel. —Joel Mathis, theweek, 6 Dec. 2024

This tension preoccupied White in subsequent works. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 4 Dec. 2024

Now Vladimir Putin’s Russia is preoccupied with Ukraine, and Aleppo has slipped from regime control. —Nicole Grajewski, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin praeoccupare, literally, to seize in advance, from prae- + occupare to seize, occupy

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

preoccupy

verb

pre·​oc·​cu·​py (ˈ)prē-ˈäk-yə-ˌpī 

1

: to hold the attention of beforehand

2

: to take possession of before another

preoccupation

(ˌ)prē-ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shən

noun