as in interested
to hold the attention of
the video game busied the child for hours
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Recent Examples of busied
While their fellow Plums busied themselves with bridal parties and wedding cakes, these girls had political awakenings.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Another busied himself writing and rewriting the mundane information on his slate.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Another busied himself writing and rewriting the mundane information on his slate.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busied
Verb
-
To my surprise, that interested him—most men wouldn’t have wanted to hear about it.—
Joyce Johnson,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
-
Around the same time, Barwick and his then-student, Peter Haine, independently came up with a slightly different definition in order to answer a particular question in category theory that interested them.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
If the Wizards are much more competitive in the season ahead, as expected, more lower-bowl seats should be occupied.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The bar, in space once occupied by Edible Arrangements at mid-block, will offer low-cost beer and drinks — in the tradition of a hip, dive bar — plus a limited menu of food.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Some of the above selects can be immersed as deep as 100 meters without any harm done.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
-
Both Newman-Thomas and Audouy immersed themselves in period research for the Alamo prologue, which didn’t have a date or location specified in the script.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The setting is an unidentified town in Ohio in the early 1970s, a rec center that plays host to a weekly meeting of seven women, all walks of life, who are intrigued by this new talk of Women’s Liberation and consciousness-raising.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
26 May 2026
-
The way they’re being listened to, the way a judge might nod at them or laugh at them or look intrigued by them.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The abuse, which police said involved a 14-year-old, happened between July and November 2024.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
-
Authorities said earlier that Baker was responsible for or involved in the deaths of three men — Robert Shine and John Carse, both 69, and a 79-year-old man who has not been identified.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
But he’s always been fascinated by this heroine’s story.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
-
The combined disgust, discomfort, ignorance, and fascination with our Indigeneity that unsettled my aunties and fascinated my cousins made more sense to me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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