preoccupy
verb
pre·oc·cu·py
(ˌ)prē-ˈä-kyə-ˌpī 
preoccupied; preoccupying; preoccupies
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
Heisenberg’s wife noticed that in the fall of 1941 he was preoccupied with thinking through the possible scenarios.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In a cinematic landscape preoccupied with noise and spectacle, Kelly Reichardt has built a three-decade career out of embracing the quiet.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025
What issue will have preoccupied both managers during the break?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Forgeries, hoaxes, and other types of literary fakery have preoccupied Havens, a rare books and manuscripts curator at the university’s Stern Center for the History of the Book, for many years now.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
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Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In a cinematic landscape preoccupied with noise and spectacle, Kelly Reichardt has built a three-decade career out of embracing the quiet.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025
What issue will have preoccupied both managers during the break?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Forgeries, hoaxes, and other types of literary fakery have preoccupied Havens, a rare books and manuscripts curator at the university’s Stern Center for the History of the Book, for many years now.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preoccupy. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
noun
(ˌ)prē-ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shən
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