All 3 Uses of
preoccupied
in
The Poisonwood Bible
- While my husband's intentions crystallized as rock salt, and while I preoccupied myself with private survival, the Congo breathed behind the curtain of forest, preparing to roll over us like a river.†
Chpt 2preoccupied = took up the attention of
- It was very strange to hear the voices of our own family members coming from the tree branches, as if we'd been transformed into flying spirits of a type preoccupied with peanuts, bananas, and common phrases of greeting.†
Chpt 2
- The hope-chest program didn't last long as our main preoccupation.†
Chpt 2 *
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) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, preoccupied can mean that someone has already inhabited or taken something.