as in interested
to hold the attention of
the video game busied the child for hours
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Recent Examples of busied
While their fellow Plums busied themselves with bridal parties and wedding cakes, these girls had political awakenings.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Another busied himself writing and rewriting the mundane information on his slate.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
Another busied himself writing and rewriting the mundane information on his slate.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busied
Verb
-
That’s a cheap and easy analogy, but that’s what interested me to want to make this show.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
-
What interested you in the character initially?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
On Thursday, Kansas City, Kansas, police linked Sanchez-Munoz to a June 11 shooting in which a vehicle occupied by an adult and a child was hit by gunfire in the area of 7th Street and Metropolitan Avenue.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
-
Ukraine also reportedly struck targets linked to Russia’s supply routes to occupied Crimea, including road and rail infrastructure.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Five months after that meeting, Rodríguez has indeed kept her political power with the backing of Washington, which benefits from the supply of Venezuelan oil now that it is immersed in a military campaign in the Middle East, ahead of November midterm elections.—
Alfredo Meza,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Active travelers who want to spend time immersed in nature will find great hiking trails, too.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Non-JoJo Siwa Cruise attendees seemed intrigued by the events, from what Johnson saw.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
When Blue Ruby’s Yuba County property came on the market, the Ladeiras were intrigued.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
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But some of the payments Newsom solicited went to nonprofits Siebel Newsom is involved with, and which have paid her a salary.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
And there's a certain time lapse involved in buying fractional shares.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Princess Kate, 44, previously revealed that all of her children are fascinated by planes and other aircraft.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
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Because people's feelings, passions, and motivations have always fascinated me.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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