Preoccupy (Verb)
Meaning 1
Occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance; "the army preoccupied the hills".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The enemy forces preoccupied the strategic high ground before our troops arrived.
- The construction company preoccupied the entire city block with their large machinery.
- To avoid traffic congestion, the police department preoccupied key intersections before the parade started.
- The family preoccupied all the tables at the restaurant before the other guests arrived.
- The opposing team preoccupied the best seats near the field during the championship game.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively; "His work preoccupies him"; "The matter preoccupies her completely--she cannot think of anything else".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- Her concern for her children's education preoccupies her every waking moment and often keeps her up at night.
- As the deadline fast approaches the upcoming project seems to preoccupy the team more and more.
- The looming possibility of losing her job preoccupies her mind and impedes her ability to focus.
- The mysterious noise in the attic will preoccupy me until I figure out what is causing it.
- Her upcoming performance at the music festival seems to preoccupy her all day and keeps her practicing.