Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To occupy completely the mind or attention of; engross. synonym: engross.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To occupy before others; take possession of or appropriate for use in advance of others.
- To fill beforehand; cause to be occupied previously.
- To occupy or engage the attention of beforehand; engross in advance of others; prepossess; preëngage.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To take possession of before another.
- transitive verb To prepossess; to engage, occupy, or engross the attention of, beforehand; hence, to prejudice.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
distract ; to occupy or draw attention elsewhere.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively
- verb occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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However, on the big, burning questions that still preoccupy many of us -- not so much "what are we?" as "why are we?"
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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Before we leave the State of the Union to focus on whatever squabbles will preoccupy us next week, it's worth pausing on a curious observation made by Paul Ryan in his response -- a sentiment sure to come back in the battles ahead.
Charade of the week: What 'hammock' is Paul Ryan talking about? Matt Miller 2011
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Attacking commercial aviation—the central nervous system of the global economy—continued to preoccupy al-Qaeda after 9/11.
The Longest War Peter L. Bergen 2011
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However I wonder what all of this -- including the life without parole a potential possibility -- says about us as a society, and as individuals who likely see ourselves as too busy to preoccupy ourselves with something that seems indubitably savage.
Carol Smaldino: Stories of Forgiveness Carol Smaldino 2012
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But there are answers to major American problems that preoccupy us today, such as long-term debt (see the recommendations of recent deficit commissions) and political gridlock (for example, changes in redistricting procedures to reduce gerrymandering).
The Misleading Metaphor of Decline Joseph S. Nye 2011
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I found myself wishing and wishing for the heartache to just stop; that something else, anything, would preoccupy my mind.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving and Recovery Jack Canfield 2011
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One problem is that the ideas that preoccupy the author here have to do with language itself.
Impossible Cities Tom Shippey 2011
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The exhibition explores an artist who was strikingly modern in character, confronting subjects and themes – the city, sexuality, manners, social integration, crime, political corruption, charity and patriotism – that continue to preoccupy us today.
Culture Maxine 2009
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Unravelling what happened and how close the nation came to disaster will preoccupy scientists and engineers for years.
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However, on the big, burning questions that still preoccupy many of us -- not so much "what are we?" as "why are we?"
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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