as in interested
to hold the attention of
the video game busied the child for hours
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Recent Examples of busied
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
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 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
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
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 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
-
That’s what interested us as well.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
These stories are not only fun to read, but also provide valuable information about ideas that interested early Christians.—
Christy Cobb,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The British troops eventually occupied the town.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The Society Apartments on Pratt Street were cleared by the city for occupancy just a week ago and a preleasing push has drawn nine applications — all now approved — with one of the 38 apartments already occupied.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a bold new configuration of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, audiences will find themselves at the very heart of the action — immersed in the intrigue and theatrical spectacle that promises to make this production truly epic.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Especially for someone whose entire adult life has been immersed in the adrenaline-infusion of coaching — from its exhilarating highs and anguishing lows to simply always being in the middle of so much.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Board Member Marc Willensky said he was intrigued by the Exploring AI course so that students can learn the risks and proper uses of artificial intelligence as a tool.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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At the same time, Maul is also intrigued by the prospect of recruiting a new apprentice, a Jedi Padawan named Devon.—
Rafael Motamayor,
IndieWire,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Heritage and Danube signed an agreement that involved no financial transactions by either party.—
Emmet Lyons,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The governments involved would need to be able to persuade their people that such a deal is acceptable.—
Donald Heflin,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Older kids might be fascinated by the artists sketching portraits, while little ones can take in the sights from a stroller.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The history of theater fascinated me too.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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