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

Armand is not preoccupied by the archaic Great Laws as the season had lead us to believe. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

As the genre’s name suggests, country music tends to be preoccupied with place; the charts are full of tributes to the satisfaction of being firmly rooted in a small town, and the sorrows of leaving it behind. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

The musician will be preoccupied with the Distracted AF tour, which will visit a number of American and Canadian cities from October through December. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026

Below, Nico O’Reilly is on the goal line at the far post, away from the eye-line of the opposition defenders, who are preoccupied with his team-mates. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026

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

Rhymes for preoccupy

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

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