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busy
[ biz-ee ]
adjective
- actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime:
busy with her work.
Synonyms: hardworking, assiduous
Antonyms: indolent
- not at leisure; otherwise engaged:
He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy.
Antonyms: unoccupied
- full of or characterized by activity:
a busy life.
- (of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible.
- officious; meddlesome; prying.
- ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy:
The rug is too busy for this room.
verb (used with object)
- to keep occupied; make or keep busy:
In summer, he busied himself keeping the lawn in order.
busy
/ ˈbɪzɪ /
adjective
- actively or fully engaged; occupied
- crowded with or characterized by activity
a busy day
- (of a room, telephone line, etc) in use; engaged
- overcrowded with detail
a busy painting
- meddlesome; inquisitive; prying
verb
- tr to make or keep (someone, esp oneself) busy; occupy
Derived Forms
- ˈbusyness, noun
Other Words From
- non·busy adjective
- over·busy adjective
- super·busy adjective
- un·busy adjective
- well-busied adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of busy1
Word History and Origins
Origin of busy1
Idioms and Phrases
- get busy
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
A full swivel ability makes it one of the best desk chairs for a busy office setting.
We’ve put together regional road trip suggestions in various parts of the country to help you explore some of your area’s lesser-known national parks during the least busy time of the year.
When her son had his fill of piano lessons, Ellen Zavian began looking for some other activity to keep him busy.
Sorry to all my work today but I am busy with this Gorilla Glue girl.
We’re trying to recover from an administration that recklessly played down the pandemic and a Congress that’s perpetually in fight mode, too busy bickering to pass a relief bill that will fund a nationwide vaccine effort.
Bush busy engaging constituents on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate ahead of the 2004 presidential election.
At some point during his busy schedule, Israel found the time to write a book, titled The Global War on Morris.
If the world is going to end, why are evangelicals so busy trying to save it?
He said it was okay, that he had been busy too… busy fighting serious intestinal problems.
I finally called Lee a couple of times and we talked but he was busy with guests at the house.
I was busy loading the piece when an exclamation of surprise from one of the men made me look up.
It will be a busy session; and I want to see if I can't become a useful public man.
In cases in which no attempt is made to ignore the accusation, the small wits are wont to be busy discovering exculpations.
And since he was too busy catching angleworms for himself to help her and her husband, she wished he would keep out of sight.
People are busy ballooning or driving; shooting like stars along railroads; or migrating like swallows or wild-geese.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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