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 was a motif that kept coming up and that interested me, this war analogy.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
As to why the format interested him, Hawley pointed to a similarity with Fargo.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At least 27 homes were so severely damaged that they could not be safely occupied along the coast, according to the California Coastal Commission.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
The drive-thru coffee house will take over the property previously occupied by TGI Fridays, which closed five years ago, said petitioner James Hus of the DVG Team.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Additionally, a study of 39 participant groups in 15 countries showed that people experience the same rhythm differently depending on the culture in which they’ve been immersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Emma McCormick Goodhart Artist Emma McCormick Goodhart immersed herself in archaeoacoustics, the study of sound in archaeological contexts, like caves.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Citadel Securities is intrigued by prediction markets, its president told me last month.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
-
Even at a new track without a prominent horse, many respondents say they’re still intrigued by Saturday’s event.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
School staff initially intervened and separated the students involved in the fight, police said.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
The potential medical interventions are similar to those involved in transitioning — mental health therapy, hormone therapy and surgeries.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Case owned one of the few pianos in town, and the instrument greatly fascinated Powell.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
-
The idea of the ouroboros (a snake eating its tail) has always fascinated me.—
Peter Bogdanovich,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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