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

There is something magical about a firefly that fascinates young and old alike.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 June 2026
There is something about the play Harvey that fascinates me, especially for right now.

— Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

Definition of fascinates

Verb

That’s what intrigues them about coming to work for a large company that’s constantly evolving.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 8 June 2026
The essential nature of magic especially intrigues physicists like Swingle, who hope to use it on a quantum computer to simulate how gravity behaves in situations where general relativity fails.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 3 June 2026

Definition of intrigues

Verb

What’s underneath Beulah and what’s really driving her is what interests me.

— Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026
These are novels about bohemian communities of friends and lovers and artistic collaborators, which is a big part of what interests me about AIDS activism.

— Sarah Schulman, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026

Definition of interests

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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 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of preoccupies

verb

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