preoccupy
gb/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/ us/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
C1
Inglés
foglalkoztat, elfoglal
VERBO
C1
1
foglalkoztat
B1
Patrón de uso:
[something] preoccupies [someone]
The upcoming interview preoccupied her all weekend.
A közelgő állásinterjú egész hétvégén foglalkoztatta.
He seemed distracted in class, preoccupied by problems at home.
Szétszórtnak tűnt az órán, mert az otthoni problémák foglalkoztatták.
Questions about money have preoccupied the team for months.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
I was preoccupied with my exam.
A vizsgám foglalkoztatott.
The news preoccupied him all day.
A hír egész nap foglalkoztatta.
Error frecuente:
Don’t use it for physically ‘taking a seat/room’; that is usually occupy, not preoccupy.
Significado
fill someone’s mind
Colocaciones
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
Sinónimos
absorb (More general; can be mental or physical attention.)
|
engross (Often stronger, suggesting total attention.)
|
consume (Emphasizes intensity, often worries or emotions.)
Antónimos
relieve (To remove a worry or burden, leaving the mind freer.)
|
unburden (To free someone from something troubling them.)
Temas
emotions
|mind
|daily_life
|work
Definición
If something preoccupies you, you think about it a lot and it is hard to think about other things.
To fill someone’s thoughts or attention so much that they have little room to think about anything else.
VERBO
C2
FORMAL
2
elfoglal
A2
Patrón de uso:
[someone] preoccupies [place]
In some accounts, the valley was preoccupied by settlers before the official survey.
Egyes beszámolók szerint a völgyet már a hivatalos felmérés előtt telepesek foglalták el.
The group tried to preoccupy key positions along the route before dawn.
A csoport hajnal előtt megpróbálta elfoglalni az útvonal menti kulcsfontosságú pontokat.
Error frecuente:
This meaning is uncommon in everyday English; most of the time, use occupy.
Significado
take over a place first
Colocaciones
preoccupy a territory
|preoccupy a region
|preoccupy the land
|preoccupy a position
|preoccupy a seat
Sinónimos
occupy (The common modern verb; does not necessarily imply ‘before others’.)
|
seize (Stronger; suggests force or sudden action.)
Antónimos
vacate (To leave a place so it is no longer occupied.)
|
abandon (To leave something behind, often permanently.)
Temas
history
|politics
|law
Definición
To take a place before others can.
To occupy or take possession of a place before someone else does.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
preoccupy
AFI
GB/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
US/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
Sílabas y acento
pre - oc - cupy (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (oc)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: preoccupy
- 3rd Person Singular: preoccupies
- Present Participle: preoccupying
- Past: preoccupied
Familia de palabras
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
Expresiones
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.
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He is preoccupied with work.
- I am preoccupied with my homework.