as in interested
to hold the attention of
the video game busied the child for hours
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Recent Examples of busied
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
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Directly after its 1979 revolution, Iran busied itself with internal enemies.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Russia has for years busied itself with reopening its Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic, and with constructing new facilities across the region.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
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
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Directly after its 1979 revolution, Iran busied itself with internal enemies.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Russia has for years busied itself with reopening its Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic, and with constructing new facilities across the region.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busied
Verb
-
What interested me in photographing Chalmers wasn’t capturing the disembodied ideas.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Tommaso di Lampedusa’s novel, which looks at the unification of Italy from the perspective of a 20th-century writer, had a modernity that interested me.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When mega-housing developments sprang up on land formerly occupied by ranches and pine plantations, far from schools, utilities and roads the new residents would need, with taxpayers helping to foot the bill for those connections.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
-
To qualify for Solar MAP+, properties must include at least five units with at least 60% of the units occupied by residents earning less than 60% of area median income, according to Connecticut Green Bank officials.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The couple immersed themselves in his philosophies, maintaining correspondence with the controversial leader.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Seattle is a city immersed in nature and shot through with an spirit of conservationism, and 1 Hotel has fully embraced that eco-conscious culture in its design and service.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cushionaire Belinda Ballet Sneakers with Ribbon Ties I’ve been intrigued by the ballet sneakers trend for quite some time, and my interest was further piqued when Nicole Kidman wore a pair recently.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The result of at least 2 years of R&D, prototyping, testing and reworking the idea from Band Industries founders Hassane Slaibi and Bassam Jalgha, the concept intrigued me.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If someone is injured or a deadly weapon is involved, the charge can escalate to a felony with the potential for much longer prison sentences.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
No charges have been filed against any of the three people involved, and the investigation remains ongoing.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Details of the service were kept private, but the family's public show of solidarity in turning out to support Caroline is typical of the Kennedy dynasty, which has fascinated Americans for decades.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Bass, who as a young man played a year as a tailback for the Utah State Aggies, was fascinated by the program, and its coach, Anthony Barnes.—
Michael Schaub,
Oc Register,
29 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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