All 5 Uses

preoccupied
in
The Lovely Bones
(Auto-generated)

At least it was a day shaped around what they were so preoccupied by: my absence.†
Chpt 9

preoccupied = took up the attention of
They seemed to be preoccupied, and he wished he could reach up and grab them and train them on the here and now.
Chpt 12 *
That's the question that preoccupies me most when I'm not preoccupied by things like your daughter's murder.†
Chpt 12

preoccupies = takes up the attention of
That's the question that preoccupies me most when I'm not preoccupied by things like your daughter's murder.†
Chpt 12

preoccupied = took up the attention of
Questions that held elements of elimination about height and weight and preoccupations.†
Chpt 16

Definitions:

(1) (preoccupied)
busy thinking about or doing something so that other things are not noticed or done
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Much more rarely, preoccupied can mean that someone has already inhabited or taken something.