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

Or is he preoccupied with positioning himself to run for president in 2028? — Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

For much of the following century, food photography functioned as a sort of ethnographic art, a form of restrained realism preoccupied with light and shadow, shape and symbolism. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

In the meantime, you’ll be preoccupied with more mundane things this month, like organizing your budget and catching up on correspondence. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

That leaves companies such as Micron caught between strong underlying demand and a market preoccupied with macroeconomic risks. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 20 Aug. 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