preoccupy: Meaning and Definition of

pre•oc•cu•py

Pronunciation: (prē-ok'yu-pī"), [key]
— -pied, -py•ing.
  1. to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
  2. to occupy beforehand or before others.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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