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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 Armand is not preoccupied by the archaic Great Laws as the season had lead us to believe. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 As the genre’s name suggests, country music tends to be preoccupied with place; the charts are full of tributes to the satisfaction of being firmly rooted in a small town, and the sorrows of leaving it behind. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 The musician will be preoccupied with the Distracted AF tour, which will visit a number of American and Canadian cities from October through December. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026 Here’s what Cashman had to say about those position groups while reminding folks that major league front offices have been preoccupied with this weekend’s amateur draft. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 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
  • The concept of responding to a thing or prompt would fascinate Forti all her life.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 29 July 2026
  • After all, what are the pirate-ship kitchens Bourdain recounts early in Kitchen Confidential if not a more dangerous, adult version of the juvenile hijinks that have always fascinated Johnson?
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of fascinate
Verb
  • The goal for this inaugural season is to keep expenses (including travel) down, interest up, and profits obtainable.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The cliche of getting involved in activities that interest you where other people might go is actually a good idea.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
Definition of interest
Verb
  • Frozen yogurt experienced a boom in the early 2000s, Webster noted, when consumers were similarly intrigued by healthier-sounding options.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Martin, who says she has been intrigued by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, says so many voters are just struggling to get by and are hungry for sweeping change.
    — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • Nathan, already distracted, gets paranoid that Coop and Joe are laughing at him.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Aria Bendix, health reporter Read All About It An armed bystander distracted a gunman who opened fire at an Idaho In-N-Out Burger.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of distract
Verb
  • In total, Chinese companies occupy six of the 10 spots for the most innovative humanoid robotics startups in the world, according to the report.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026
  • While both candidates occupy the left side of the national political spectrum, their records illustrate two distinct governing philosophies that have frequently clashed in San Francisco Democratic politics.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of occupy

Browse Nearby Words

preoccupies
preoccupy
preoccupying
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on preoccupy

Nglish: Translation of preoccupy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All