preoccupy
gb/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/ us/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
C1
Inglês
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
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.
Padrão de uso:
[something] preoccupies [someone]
Erro comum:
Don’t use it for physically ‘taking a seat/room’; that is usually occupy, not preoccupy.
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.)
Colocações
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
Temas
emotions
|mind
|daily_life
|work
Exemplos
- 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- I was preoccupied with my exam.
- The news preoccupied him all day.
Verbo
formal
C2
action
2
take over a place first
To take a place before others can.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] preoccupies [place]
Erro comum:
This meaning is uncommon in everyday English; most of the time, use occupy.
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.)
Colocações
preoccupy a territory
|preoccupy a region
|preoccupy the land
|preoccupy a position
|preoccupy a seat
Temas
history
|politics
|law
Exemplos
- 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.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
preoccupy
IPA
GB/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
US/pɹiˈɑkjəpˌaɪ/
Sílabas e acento
pre - oc - cupy (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (oc)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: preoccupy
- 3rd Person Singular: preoccupies
- Present Participle: preoccupying
- Past: preoccupied
Família de palavras
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
Expressões
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.
Exemplos
- 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.