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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Recent Examples of preoccupy
The problem of persistent economic sluggishness, the inability to reenergize the powerful engines of rapid growth, has preoccupied both policymakers and business leaders.
—
Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Meaning, your child cannot be preoccupied by a cellular device.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
City appear to have optimised this trade-off, knowing when to punish defences preoccupied with box-defending by striking from distance.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
In the seconds before the shooting, the officer in the black beanie is turned away from Pretti, preoccupied with another protester.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Meaning, your child cannot be preoccupied by a cellular device.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
City appear to have optimised this trade-off, knowing when to punish defences preoccupied with box-defending by striking from distance.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
In the seconds before the shooting, the officer in the black beanie is turned away from Pretti, preoccupied with another protester.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
Verb
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For decades, the Zeigler case has fascinated the public around the world, leading to television shows, books, documentaries and a variety of crime sleuths creating various conspiracy theories.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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He’d already been fascinated by watching his daughter, Cassidy, play with a dollhouse.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If the mouse doesn't interest you, save money by subscribing to the standalone Hulu app.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
19 Mar. 2026
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And along with gender and empowerment, there’s also something about having bright colors and a lot of grief on stage that interests me.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump defended the elimination game formula of the show as critical for drama but was intrigued by my counterproposal and asked me to give him a year to figure it out and transition the show toward that model.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
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Her teammate and friend, James Twiggs, aka Love Story, was also intrigued while watching games with her dad.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its glare-free screen also helps keep reflections away so you won't be distracted.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
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There are so many women that are underestimated, so many women that present themselves in ways that people can find distracting or make assumptions about because of it.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But there is still plenty of room for improvement at the nickel position, currently occupied by Chau Smith-Wade, and the rest of the depth chart.—
Mike Kaye
March 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
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Politics consequently occupies much of the space for leftists that is usually taken up by family, religion, career and community for conservatives.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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