busying

verb

present participle of busy
as in interesting
to hold the attention of the video game busied the child for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of busying After busying ourselves with fly fishing on the Snake River, rafting, horseback riding and touring Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, there hasn’t been much time for reflection. — Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2026 The song vamps where Railings used to weave and wind, its ever-busying rhythm section building tension atop its harmonic simplicity. — Craig Heed, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026 Had Steve Smith been fit and available to play, then the 31-year-old would have been patrolling another part of the field; maybe busying himself in the covers, or chirping away from under a lid at short leg. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025 Much like her idol Marlene Dietrich, Novak walked away from the business under her own steam, and has largely kept to herself, marrying an equine veterinarian and busying herself raising horses and painting. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busying
  1. occupying
  2. immersing
  3. intriguing
  4. involving
  5. fascinating
Verb
  • No one from the magazine bothered to help clean up the mess, but Camper, Tim and Mike, until then occupying each other by the Golden Age of SF section, responded rapidly.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Gaga’s former penthouse is a corner duplex occupying the top two floors of the building.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupying
Verb
  • For Marxt and his collaborator, the filming process is about immersing themselves in this world to understand it and share the experience with an audience.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Beigel, who previously worked with FBI officers while helming the ESPN 30for30 documentary The Counterfeiter, spent approximately three years immersing himself in the Loofe case.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of immersing
Verb
  • The female forward is in front of the camera, behind the camera, really getting women, intriguing them to come to the service and watch.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The first four episodes made available for review likewise have tiny sparks of interest, from some witty dialogue to genuine plot momentum to intriguing new characters popping up.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 21 June 2026
Definition of intriguing
Verb
  • The collision came just nine months after another deadly crash involving high-speed trains operated by the same two companies in southern Spain in January.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Savannah River National Laboratory conducts research involving nuclear materials, environmental management, energy technologies, and national security.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of involving
Verb
  • From bizarre medical tests to a mass phobia of beans, here are 14 surprising facts that reveal just how inventive, eccentric, and fascinating the ancient Greeks really were.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer promises fascinating new characters, like one man who lives on a sailboat for most of the year.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascinating

Browse Nearby Words

busybody
busying
but
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Cite this Entry

“Busying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busying. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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