- previously or already occupied
- absorbed in one's thoughts
- focused on a certain matter: preoccupied with losing weight
- Taxonomy designating or of a name already used and hence no longer available
She is preoccupied with texting on her phone while driving.
The definition of preoccupied is someone who is busy with or engaged in something.
An example of preoccupied is a person who is texting while driving.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"preoccupied." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED>.
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preoccupied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED
preoccupied
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"preoccupied." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED>.
APA Style
preoccupied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED
preoccupied
adjective
- a. Absorbed in thought; engrossed.b. Excessively concerned with something; distracted.
- Formerly or already occupied.
- Already used and therefore unavailable for further use. Used of taxonomic names.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"preoccupied." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED>.
APA Style
preoccupied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED
Adjective
- Concerned with something else; distracted; giving one's attention elsewhere.
- I was preoccupied with a deadline at work, and I forgot his birthday.
Verb
- Simple past tense and past participle of preoccupy.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"preoccupied." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED>.
APA Style
preoccupied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED
preoccupied - Medical Definition
adj.
- Absorbed in thought; engrossed.
- Excessively concerned with something; distracted.
- Formerly or already occupied.
- Already used and therefore unavailable for further use. Used of taxonomic names.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"preoccupied." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED>.
APA Style
preoccupied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/prEOCCUPIED
Sentence Examples
- Maybe that was what he had been so preoccupied with lately.
- Alex continued to be preoccupied with his problem - whatever it was.
- Kutuzov seemed preoccupied and did not listen to what the general was saying.
- I know you've been preoccupied, but everyone else has noticed his interest in you.
- She stopped and stepped back into the hallway, too preoccupied to notice Jonny standing in front of his door.
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WORDS NEAR preoccupied IN THE DICTIONARY
- preoccupied
- preoccupates
- preoccupating
- preoccupation