preoccupy

verb

pre·​oc·​cu·​py (ˌ)prē-ˈä-kyə-ˌpī How to pronounce preoccupy (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He is preoccupied with the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, erroneously calling it a subsidy. Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025 Overburdened healthcare workers are preoccupied with routine administrative duties that detract from direct patient care. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025 The goal would be twofold: to reacquaint voters — who might be preoccupied with newer releases — with March’s Cowboy Carter and to highlight the album’s country chops after it was controversially snubbed by the Country Music Awards. Mike Wass, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Dec. 2024 While Carter was preoccupied with guiding the Egyptian-Israeli talks to completion and negotiating a strategic nuclear arms deal with the Soviets, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, America’s closest partner in the Middle East, faced a revolution at home, beginning in November 1978. Benjamin V. Allison / Made By History, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for preoccupy 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of preoccupy was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near preoccupy

Cite this Entry

“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preoccupy. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

preoccupy

verb
pre·​oc·​cu·​py (ˈ)prē-ˈäk-yə-ˌpī How to pronounce preoccupy (audio)
1
: to hold the attention of beforehand
2
: to take possession of before another
preoccupation
(ˌ)prē-ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shən
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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