preoccupy
gb/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/ us/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
C1
Engels
Betekenissen
0 betekenissen
Werkwoord
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.
Gebruikspatroon:
[something] preoccupies [someone]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Don’t use it for physically ‘taking a seat/room’; that is usually occupy, not preoccupy.
Synoniemen
absorb (More general; can be mental or physical attention.)
|
engross (Often stronger, suggesting total attention.)
|
consume (Emphasizes intensity, often worries or emotions.)
Antoniemen
relieve (To remove a worry or burden, leaving the mind freer.)
|
unburden (To free someone from something troubling them.)
Woordcombinaties
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
Thema's
emotions
|mind
|daily_life
|work
Voorbeelden
- 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.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- I was preoccupied with my exam.
- The news preoccupied him all day.
Werkwoord
formal
C2
action
2
take over a place first
To take a place before others can.
Gebruikspatroon:
[someone] preoccupies [place]
Veelgemaakte fout:
This meaning is uncommon in everyday English; most of the time, use occupy.
Synoniemen
occupy (The common modern verb; does not necessarily imply ‘before others’.)
|
seize (Stronger; suggests force or sudden action.)
Antoniemen
vacate (To leave a place so it is no longer occupied.)
|
abandon (To leave something behind, often permanently.)
Woordcombinaties
preoccupy a territory
|preoccupy a region
|preoccupy the land
|preoccupy a position
|preoccupy a seat
Thema's
history
|politics
|law
Voorbeelden
- 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.
Grammatica
Lemmavorm
preoccupy
IPA
GB/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
US/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
Lettergrepen en klemtoon
pre - oc - cupy (3 lettergrepen)
Stress on 2nd syllable (oc)
Woordvormen
Verb
- Base: preoccupy
- 3rd Person Singular: preoccupies
- Present Participle: preoccupying
- Past: preoccupied
Woordfamilie
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
Uitdrukkingen
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.
Voorbeelden
- 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.