preoccupy

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 But if none of those clubs is willing to part with the talent the Tigers want for Skubal, and the Yankees are preoccupied with other needs, the Dodgers could emerge as the most viable suitor — in effect, the last team standing. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 28 July 2026 Increasingly, his mind was preoccupied with extremist views and conspiracy theories, including secret government cabals and false-flag operations. Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
Verb
  • In a California town called Anzar in the late-19th century, Paulette is living with a local magnate’s eccentric son who’s fascinated by the tramps gathering outside his manor.
    Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Here are four more scammers who fascinated people on the internet – plus one who people thought was a scammer but turned out not to be.
    Owen Carry, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • If those sorts of things interest you, the paper will be great.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Businesses too small to interest a Wall Street desk can transfer a specific risk to someone willing to price it.
    Brian Quintenz, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • When some of his friends became smokejumpers, he was intrigued.
    M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Yet some European philosophers were intrigued by the monism of Vedanta philosophy, whereas Evangelical Christians saw the same monism as a foundation for proselytizing Christian monotheism.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Nothing will keep you from sleeping or distract you from studying like itchy bug bites or the constant sneezing and drippy nose of seasonal allergies.
    Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The long seven-month offseason has been filled with congressional legislation, eligibility lawsuits, CFP expansion and plenty of other storylines that have distracted from the product on the field.
    Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Netanyahu’s hard-line government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the settler attacks in the West Bank, which many governments around the world consider illegally occupied.
    F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
  • But no one has lived in the house since 2010, when it was occupied by architects Sirkka and Robert Damora for about five decades after the Booths.
    Nora DeLigter, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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