too preoccupied with her worries to enjoy the meal

Recent Examples on the Web

The educational system was so preoccupied with it that the lower schools acquired the name grammar schools — a term that reached the height of its popularity in the 1830s but over the next century fell off dramatically. Bryan A. Garner, National Review, "A New Socratic Dialogue: Part 1 of 3," 3 Sep. 2020

After graduating high school, LaChappelle was too preoccupied with his mission to enroll in college. Alaa Elassar, CNN, "This young entrepreneur skipped college to create robotic limbs that users can control with their minds," 31 Aug. 2020

Yet the state government seems more preoccupied with the coming assembly elections than with these multiple crises. Jean Drèze, Scientific American, "India Is in Denial about the COVID-19 Crisis," 25 Aug. 2020

Rather the simple reality is that Biden, like any candidate, will be too preoccupied with running for president to focus on being president. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, "Joe Biden’s Great Reclamation Project," 17 Aug. 2020

Soon, household-staples companies could sound equally preoccupied with their flagging nondomestic businesses. Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Domesticity Is a Mixed Blessing for Household Brands," 9 Aug. 2020

The White House, in response to the new tally of ACLU legal actions, said the organization had become preoccupied with opposing Trump to the detriment of its historical mission. David Crary, chicagotribune.com, "‘See you in court’: ACLU files nearly 400 cases versus the Trump administration," 6 Aug. 2020

Jones, who is Black, now enjoys the support of the other four candidates from the 2018 election. Jones has argued that Tlaib has ignored her district and become too preoccupied with national issues. Fox News, "Rashida Tlaib declines to back Biden amid tough House reelection fight: report," 30 July 2020

People seemingly not preoccupied with keeping separate from each other were separated by pure virtue of limited attendance. Michael Mccleary, The Indianapolis Star, "Tommy Johnson earns No. 1 Funny Car qualifying spot, Tony Schumacher qualifies in NHRA return," 11 July 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preoccupied.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.