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

The hotel fell into some level of disrepair as the prior ownership group was preoccupied with three court proceedings that were filed in an attempt to retain control of the property, according to BrightSpire. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025

The actress' current beauty regimen is simple and effortless, but there was a time when she was preoccupied with her skin. —Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Any nation experiencing such a cyberattack is going to be preoccupied with restoring essential services and saving lives at home. —Jim Richberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Deena is preoccupied by her romantic designs on Maddie and general horniness. —Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025

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

• acidify
• alveoli
• areolae
• demystify
• detoxify
• disqualify
• diversify
• electrify
• exemplify
• fasciculi
• identify
• indemnify

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