preoccupy
gb/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/ us/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
C1
action
1
fill someone’s mind
If something preoccupies you, you think about it a lot and it is hard to think about other things.
Usage pattern:
[something] preoccupies [someone]
Common mistake:
Don’t use it for physically ‘taking a seat/room’; that is usually occupy, not preoccupy.
Synonyms
absorb (More general; can be mental or physical attention.)
|
engross (Often stronger, suggesting total attention.)
|
consume (Emphasizes intensity, often worries or emotions.)
Antonyms
relieve (To remove a worry or burden, leaving the mind freer.)
|
unburden (To free someone from something troubling them.)
Collocations
be preoccupied with work
|be preoccupied with money
|be preoccupied with appearance
|be preoccupied with the future
|be preoccupied with problems
|be preoccupied with thoughts
|be preoccupied by worries
|a preoccupying thought
|preoccupy someone's mind
|preoccupy someone's thoughts
Themes
emotions
|mind
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- The upcoming interview preoccupied her all weekend.
- He seemed distracted in class, preoccupied by problems at home.
- Questions about money have preoccupied the team for months.
Learner examples
- I was preoccupied with my exam.
- The news preoccupied him all day.
Verb
formal
C2
action
2
take over a place first
To take a place before others can.
Usage pattern:
[someone] preoccupies [place]
Common mistake:
This meaning is uncommon in everyday English; most of the time, use occupy.
Synonyms
occupy (The common modern verb; does not necessarily imply ‘before others’.)
|
seize (Stronger; suggests force or sudden action.)
Antonyms
vacate (To leave a place so it is no longer occupied.)
|
abandon (To leave something behind, often permanently.)
Collocations
preoccupy a territory
|preoccupy a region
|preoccupy the land
|preoccupy a position
|preoccupy a seat
Themes
history
|politics
|law
Examples
- In some accounts, the valley was preoccupied by settlers before the official survey.
- The group tried to preoccupy key positions along the route before dawn.
Grammar
Dictionary form
preoccupy
IPA
GB/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
US/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
Syllables & stress
pre - oc - cupy (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (oc)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: preoccupy
- 3rd Person Singular: preoccupies
- Present Participle: preoccupying
- Past: preoccupied
Word family
Forms
preoccupies
verb
preoccupying
verb
preoccupied
verb
Core family
preoccupation
noun C1
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unoccupied
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
occupancy
noun B2
Expressions
be preoccupied with [something]
1/bˈi pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪd wˈɪθ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
be busy thinking about something
If you are preoccupied with something, you keep thinking about it.
Examples
- She’s been preoccupied with her new job lately.
- I was so preoccupied with the deadline that I forgot to eat lunch.
- He looked preoccupied with something, but he wouldn’t say what.