as in interested
to hold the attention of
the video game busied the child for hours
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Recent Examples of busied
Another busied himself writing and rewriting the mundane information on his slate.
—
Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Russia has for years busied itself with reopening its Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic, and with constructing new facilities across the region.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Emma shook her head and busied herself with picking up her waders.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
The department has also busied itself in Minneapolis with prosecuting residents opposed to what federal officials are doing in their city and immigrants trying to flee their pursuers, a tactic seen in other cities targeted for immigration enforcement.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
For the first 12 minutes, the Celtics busied themselves by snapping up free points.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Eventually, though, after the Falcons recovered an onside kick successfully and knelt the rest of the way en route to a 19-17 victory, the family busied themselves jumping up and down, screaming for joy.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 5 Jan. 2026
So, after the sombrero drew hearty guffaws, my friend Jim busied himself finding monuments to chip-and-dip tastelessness.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Russia has for years busied itself with reopening its Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic, and with constructing new facilities across the region.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busied
Verb
-
As to why the format interested him, Hawley pointed to a similarity with Fargo.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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Cindy would give Ann gourmet popcorn or maybe a sweatshirt from her alma mater, while Ann would give Cindy a special book on a topic that interested her, or maybe an old batch of family recipes.—
Ross Channing Reed,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Beginning in the late 1970s, it was occupied by actor, puppeteer, and voice artist Chuck McCann and his wife, William Morris agent Betty Fanning, who lived there for 45 years until their deaths in 2018 and early 2026, respectively.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
30 Apr. 2026
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Daniel Chong, 104 minutes Pixar’s latest family-friendly charmer depicts a land war — over a patch of earth that was once occupied by beavers and other wildlife and that human developers are eager to blow up for a highway.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Oak Leaf Trail is one of my favorite ways to get immersed in Milwaukee’s beauty.—
Kate Van Dyke,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, the speaker's three class-D amplifiers, subwoofers, and both front- and rear-facing tweeters ensure that everyone can get immersed in its soundscape.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He was particularly intrigued by schizophrenia—the pinnacle of madness and the most complex puzzle of all.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Many people like me — scientists and coffee enthusiasts — were intrigued by a long-term study that found that those who drank multiple cups of coffee a day were less likely to develop dementia.—
Richard M. Ransohoff,
Washington Post,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The incident May 1 involved a bulk carrier southwest of Al Mukalla, Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations service.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
2 May 2026
-
Sleep stages differ in important ways, Monika Schönauer, a sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg, who wasn’t involved in the study, told me.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Alicia Johnson, who lives in Onarga in Iroquois County, said she was fascinated by the neighborhood.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Zeigler case has fascinated the public for decades.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busied. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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