preoccupy

/pɹɪˈɒkjupaɪ/

preoccupy · verb — to distract; to draw attention elsewhere.

Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

preoccupy is pronounced /pɹɪˈɒkjupaɪ/.

Etymology

From pre- + occupy, after Middle French preoccuper, and its source, Latin praeoccupo, praeoccupare. Doublet of preoccupate, now obsolete.

verb

To distract; to draw attention elsewhere.e.g.“The father tried to preoccupy the child with his keys.”
To worry or concern (someone) so as to distract them.e.g.“It always preoccupies me when he acts like this.”
To occupy or take possession of beforehand.e.g.“Terrified at this uproar, […] she ran for shelter into the place which was pre-occupied by the other lady […].” — 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

distract 77% match — To divert the attention of. vs preoccupy →
preoccupate 76% match — To influence, to occupy (the mind) in advance; to be preoccupied with. vs preoccupy →
distracted 70% match — having one's attention diverted; preoccupied; distrait (literary) vs preoccupy →
disattend 68% match — To be distracted (from); used with to. vs preoccupy →
distractee 66% match — Someone who has become distracted. vs preoccupy →
distraction 65% match — Something that distracts. vs preoccupy →
misoccupy 64% match — To occupy with something inappropriate; to focus or spend on something unworthy. vs preoccupy →
engrossed 64% match — Preoccupied with something to the exclusion of everything else. vs preoccupy →