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preoccupy

verb

Definition of preoccupynext
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

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 preoccupy That leaves companies such as Micron caught between strong underlying demand and a market preoccupied with macroeconomic risks. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 The article emphasizes that Le Guin’s books are preoccupied with nature. — Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 The dynamics that structure The Niccolini-Cowper Madonna preoccupied Raphael. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 In a sense, the recent buildings are oddly backward-looking solutions to a dramaturgical problem that preoccupied the German-speaking avant-garde of the 1920s. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
  1. fascinate
  2. interest
  3. intrigue
  4. distract
  5. occupy
Verb
  • At this time last year, many were fascinated by undrafted rookie free agent Brady Cook.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But the darker side of humanity has always fascinated me, as do mystical practices.
    — Ashley Woo, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascinate
Verb
  • And that the practice of science was something that really interested me.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Certain details, such as a lost footnote that only exists in a single edition of the volume as a handwritten addendum, interest him greatly.
    — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of interest
Verb
  • But we are intrigued by this, because that’s not the way that the suspects are thinking.
    — Anusha Praturu, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • When a solar sales team showed up at Craig McKinney's Waxahachie home last year, he was intrigued.
    — Erin Jones, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • Levi argues that the Blast files were deliberately compromised to distract from their contents.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • My parents were tense and distracted while my siblings were scared.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of distract
Verb
  • Undergraduate education, credentialing, scientific research, professionalization, and coming of age still occupy the same campuses.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
  • One of the Heuers’ next-door neighbors, however, occupies more of a middle ground.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of occupy

Browse Nearby Words

preoccupies
preoccupy
preoccupying
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Cite this Entry

“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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