Meaning of busy in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Classifying Adjective
    1. Definitions
  4. Qualitative Adjective
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈbɪzi/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent Play button

  1. Verb

    busy

    Definitions

    1. keep busy with

    Examples

    • « She busies herself with her butterfly collection »

    Derived terms

  2. Classifying Adjective

    busy

    Definitions

    1. overcrowded or cluttered with detail

    Examples

    • « a busy painting »
    • « a fussy design »

    Synonyms

  3. 2. intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner

    Examples

    • « an interfering old woman »
    • « bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself »
    • « busy about other people's business »

    Synonyms

  4. 3. crowdedwith or characterized by much activity

    Examples

    • « a very busy week »
    • « a busy life »
    • « a busy street »
    • « a busy seaport »

    Synonyms

  5. 4. (of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability

    Examples

    • « ('engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line) »
    • « her line is busy »
    • « receptionists' telephones are always engaged »
    • « the lavatory »

    Synonyms

  6. Qualitative Adjective

    busy

    Etymology

    Old English bisgian (verb), bisig (noun); related to Dutch bezig, of unknown origin

    Definitions

    1. actively or fully engaged or occupied

    Examples

    • « busy with her work »
    • « a busy man »
    • « too busy to eat lunch »
    • « the line is busy »

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

Famous quotes

  • « After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. »
    Kenneth Grahame
  • « Comedians don't laugh. They're too busy analyzing why it's funny or not. »
    James Lipton
  • « I have a very busy life, and not many people who have a career and four kids go out a lot to the movies. »
    Meryl Streep
  • « The truth is, I think we are a self-less society, not a selfish society. Because we're so busy now. »
    Phil McGraw
  • « The answer to old age is to keep one's mind busy and to go on with one's life as if it were interminable. I always admired Chekhov for building a new house when he was dying of tuberculosis. »
    Leon Edel

See also

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