preoccupied
adjective
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Definition of preoccupied
1 : previously applied to another group and unavailable for use in a new sense —used of a biological generic or specific name
2a : lost in thought also : absorbed in some preoccupation
b : already occupied
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Synonyms & Antonyms for preoccupied
Synonyms
absent, absentminded, abstracted, distracted
Antonyms
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Examples of preoccupied in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even then, at least two jurors appeared stressed or preoccupied. — Catherine Herridge, Jason Donner, Jake Gibson, Fox News, "Reporter's Notebook: Tension in Manafort trial courtroom as jury deliberates," 20 Aug. 2018 And elsewhere, America’s center of power kept doing business, perhaps too busy, uninterested, or preoccupied to drop everything and glue themselves to the television screens beaming out a stunning moment in U.S. history. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "A Tale of Two Cities: A Snapshot of Washington D.C. On the Historic Kavanaugh-Ford Hearing Day," 27 Sep. 2018 The actors, Vinberg foremost among them, are wonderfully unselfconscious, preoccupied not with the cliches of adolescence—looks, for one—but with less tangible qualities. — Eve Macsweeney, Vogue, "Skate Kitchen Is Chock-Full of Memorable Characters," 10 Aug. 2018 Well, neither do women who are more preoccupied with seeming like total sweethearts than getting things done. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Feminism Doesn't Mean Liking Every Stupid Woman You Meet," 4 May 2017 Ultimately, advocates say, many people in poverty are too preoccupied trying to survive to worry about nutrition. — Alfred Lubrano, Philly.com, "Attacking people in poverty for buying birthday cakes and other treats with food stamps," 17 June 2018 In this country, USA Track & Field, the sport's national governing body seemingly has been too preoccupied with messes of its own making to do much about marketing its athletes. — Ken Goe, OregonLive.com, "What if you held a meet and nobody outside the stadium noticed? Oregon track & field rundown," 22 May 2018 Clubs became preoccupied with crowd control, often herding groups of spectators into large metal pens, and in 1989, at Hillsborough, in Sheffield, ninety-six Liverpool fans were crushed to death. — Leo Robson, The New Yorker, "How We Watch Soccer Now," 5 Dec. 2016 The father of two and reality star is a little preoccupied with other projects. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "Sorry, But, Tarek El Moussa Isn't Dating Right Now," 15 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preoccupied.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for preoccupied
preoccupied
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of preoccupied
: thinking about something a lot or too much
See the full definition for preoccupied in the English Language Learners Dictionary
preoccupied
adjective
\
Kids Definition of preoccupied
: thinking about or worrying about one thing a great deal The kittens played right in front of him, but the Emperor was too preoccupied to notice.— Lloyd Alexander, Time Cat
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