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 reason, we were told, was that teachers didn’t want us to be preoccupied with vanity.
—
Charlotte Mensah, Essence, 24 Mar. 2025
But with opposing teams holding an offside line and often preoccupied by the ball-carrier at the edge of their penalty box, a player making a short burst beyond a static line of defenders is very hard to stop.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Although preoccupied with its war of choice in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, Moscow is simultaneously making a major play to expand political leverage on the continent.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
The comedy is so wonderfully weightless as to seem entirely free from the gravitational pull of the history that had preoccupied Wilde’s family, and of a place called Ireland, where the unfortunately unavailable food was not the cucumber but the potato.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Charlotte Mensah, Essence, 24 Mar. 2025
But with opposing teams holding an offside line and often preoccupied by the ball-carrier at the edge of their penalty box, a player making a short burst beyond a static line of defenders is very hard to stop.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Although preoccupied with its war of choice in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, Moscow is simultaneously making a major play to expand political leverage on the continent.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
The comedy is so wonderfully weightless as to seem entirely free from the gravitational pull of the history that had preoccupied Wilde’s family, and of a place called Ireland, where the unfortunately unavailable food was not the cucumber but the potato.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupy
Verb
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My own experience with autoimmune encephalitis—a disease that distorted my reality, sending me into psychosis and delusions—had left me fascinated by the potentials and limits of our minds.—
Susannah Cahalan,
Vogue,
14 Apr. 2025
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Noah Carrigan has always been fascinated by trucks.—
Terry Baddoo,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Encourage your student to reach out to local professors or professionals in fields that genuinely interest them, rather than focusing solely on prestigious summer programs with low acceptance rates.—
Dr. Aviva Legatt,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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As always, there’s been chatter about the identity of the season’s inevitable casualty and the circumstances behind their death, which has never been a level on which White Lotus interested me.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His true passion lies in connecting with global audiences, particularly those intrigued by the nuanced art of leading in times of crisis.—
Hilary Tetenbaum,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
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But the character description intrigued Lee, a Korean-American actor, because the role was written as a character of Korean descent.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
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Cameras captured her walking around on the grass before getting distracted and Jordan swooping her up to get to their next hole.—
Nasha Smith,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Last spring, Harvard students protesting Israel's retaliatory attacks on Gaza occupied the university's central courtyard for 20 days and staged a 24-hour sit-in in another building.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Israeli Defense Forces now claim to occupy some 30% of Gaza territory.—
Lucien Bruggeman,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupy. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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