preoccupy : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: preoccupy	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for preoccupy
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
preoccupy v engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively; "His work preoccupies him"; "The matter preoccupies her completely--she cannot think of anything else" occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance; "the army preoccupied the hills"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Preoccupy \Preoc"cupy\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Preoccupied} (-p[c6]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Preoccupying}.] [Cf. F. pr[82]occuper. See {Preoccupate}, {Occupy}.] 1. To take possession of before another; as, to preoccupy a country not before held. 2. To prepossess; to engage, occupy, or engross the attention of, beforehand; hence, to prejudice. I Think it more respectful to the reader to leave something to reflections than to preoccupy his judgment. --Arbuthnot.