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Definition of "preoccupation" []

  • The state of being preoccupied; absorption of the attention or intellect. (noun)
  • Something that preoccupies or engrosses the mind: Money was their chief preoccupation. (noun)
  • Occupation of a place in advance; preoccupancy. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "preoccupation" in a sentence
  • "The intelligentsia are as confused as before, and their main preoccupation is finding culprits abroad, such as the Elders of Zion and the Western imperialists, for the misery of their society."
  • "But what Councils do not deal with, and therefore neglect, is also of great significance: thus Vatican II was deafeningly silent about what was to become the main preoccupation of the pontificate of John Paul II: evangelisation."
  • "Their major preoccupation is to see the end of 'Lost' before their neighbour, who is still watching the first series, so that they can feel superior in their technological prowess."