as in to fascinate
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preoccupy
Jordan Mesias, 33, meanwhile, was preoccupied with the District 1 City Council race.
—
Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Rumspringa is an album preoccupied with thresholds.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
That's really what preoccupied all of us during Band of Brothers and similarly with Pressure.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
While Cody is preoccupied with playing with toy trucks in the dirt, JJ’s dad teaches him how all the different construction vehicles work.
—Parents, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Rumspringa is an album preoccupied with thresholds.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
That's really what preoccupied all of us during Band of Brothers and similarly with Pressure.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
While Cody is preoccupied with playing with toy trucks in the dirt, JJ’s dad teaches him how all the different construction vehicles work.
—Parents, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
Verb
-
Part of what fascinated me about their presentation was not only their refusal to kowtow to male desire, which for decades had a stranglehold on rock aesthetics, but a concomitant disavowal of commercialism.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Princess Kate, 44, previously revealed that all of her children are fascinated by planes and other aircraft.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Make new friends or join a club that interests you.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 June 2026
-
What interested him was the gap between the performance of power and whatever lives underneath it.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago Outerbelt, a 210-mile trail that encircles the city, intrigued our copy editor.—
Diane Penningroth,
Midwest Living,
12 June 2026
-
We were intrigued, to say the least, along with over 300 other commenters.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
During the conversation, the individuals attempted to distract the woman by putting jewelry on her.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
These plants either repel slugs and snails or distract the pests from your garden crops.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Fahed Rahal said soccer occupies a unique place within Algerian culture, serving as a source of identity and connection across generations.—
J.M. Banks
June 15,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
Siebel Newsom, 51, has occupied a higher profile position compared to spouses of other state leaders.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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