PREOCCUPIES Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

preoccupies

verb

present tense third-person singular of preoccupy

as in fascinates

to be thought about or worried about by (someone) very often or constantly The question of life after death has preoccupied many philosophers.

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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 preoccupies In other versions, the demon preoccupies himself with people who’ve fallen asleep in church, carefully noting down every snore. — JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupies

Verb

Amid all the con artists and fraudsters this century has produced, Holmes is the one who fascinates us the most.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The reaction to this movie fascinates me, starting in Cannes.

— Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of fascinates

Verb

What intrigues you about taking this fish, who’s been out of water, and throwing him back into familiar waters?

— Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
The novel that will form the basis of Reacher’s now-in-production fifth season, 2015’s Make Me, finds Reacher visiting a midwestern hamlet called Mother’s Rest because the town’s name intrigues him.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of intrigues

Verb

Love doesn’t necessarily make a good photograph, but the photographer’s interest, and the intelligence and imagination behind it, can contribute to the making of a picture that interests us.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
That is what interests me — things that can only be truly grasped through contact with crowds of people.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of interests

Verb

Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou have both weighed in, and Fortune has questioned whether her new persona distracts from the real story.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Similarly, Sudan hopes that internal conflict in Ethiopia distracts Addis from its support of the rapid support forces militia in Sudan’s war.

— Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracts

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preoccupied

preoccupies

preoccupy

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“Preoccupies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupies. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of preoccupies

verb

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