otherwise engaged

idiom

: busy doing something else
He won't be able to attend because he's otherwise engaged.

Examples of otherwise engaged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bush 43, wrestling with 9/11 and discretionary wars, was otherwise engaged. Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 17 Sep. 2024 Because the department has a narrow window to initiate a drug search, a K-9 unit most likely will not be available in time, either because the unit is too far away, otherwise engaged, or because there is no active unit that day. Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2024 But even if the European Peace Facility is expanded and the rapid deployment force becomes operational, Europe will hardly be able to defend itself if the United States is otherwise engaged. Radek Sikorski, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023 If you’re otherwise engaged when a former flame hits you up on Snapchat, stick to your boundaries! ELLE, 2 June 2023 If you’re otherwise engaged when a former flame hits you up on Snapchat, stick to your boundaries! ELLE, 2 June 2023 They are intended to be touched, climbed on, and otherwise engaged with. Lauren Elkin, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2023 He was known as a friendly, talkative customer who asked about their children and otherwise engaged them in conversation. Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022 But the female who came looking for a mate will often find one while the males from her group are otherwise engaged. Lee Alan Dugatkin, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'otherwise engaged.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near otherwise engaged

Cite this Entry

“Otherwise engaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otherwise%20engaged. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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