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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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
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupies
Verb
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How golfers rely on — and leverage — technology fascinates Skenes, from the numbers culled relative to swing speed and ball flight to how their bodies must be in sync to generate so much club speed.—
Tribune News Service,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
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What fascinates me as a writer is what is sometimes left out of the historical record, what gets tucked away in odd places.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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All of these have a spiritual edge to them that intrigues me, too.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
15 Dec. 2025
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What intrigues you about circling back to the original Power world and that complicated dynamic with Tariq?—
Derek Lawrence,
Vulture,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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If there are too many items on your list that no longer engage or excite you, one career resolution for 2026 could be to write yourself a new job description and negotiate with your manager to do more of what interests you.—
Caroline Ceniza-Levine,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Choose a specific cause that interests your kids and give back together.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Parents,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But treating reprocessing as a near-term fix for SONGS distracts from the work that experts agree is unavoidable.—
Mike Levin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
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Also, my grandson is annoyed at someone else demanding my time which also distracts me from keeping a close eye on him.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupies. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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