Definition of 'busy'
Word forms: comparative busier
, superlative busiest
, 3rd person singular present
tense busies
, present participle busying
, past tense , past participle busied
1. adjective
When you are busy, you are working hard or concentrating on a task, so that you are not free to do anything else.
What is it? I'm busy.
They are busy preparing for a hectic day's activity on Saturday.
Rachel said she would be too busy to come.
Phil Martin is an exceptionally busy man.
2. adjective
3. adjective
If you say that someone is busy thinking or worrying about something, you mean that it is taking all their attention, often to such an extent that they are unable to think about anything else.
Companies are so busy analysing the financial implications that they overlook the
effect on workers.
Most people are too busy with their own troubles to give much help.
4. verb
He busied himself with the camera.
She busied herself getting towels ready.
For a while Kathryn busied herself in the kitchen.
5. adjective
A busy place is full of people who are doing things or moving about.
The Strand is one of London's busiest and most affluent streets.
The ward was busy and Amy hardly had time to talk.
6. adjective
7. See also busily
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
adjectiveWord forms: busier or busiest
5.
verbWord forms: busies, busying or busied
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
busyness (ˈbusyness) noun
Word origin of 'busy'
Old English bisig; related to Middle Dutch besich, perhaps to Latin festīnāre to hurry adjectiveWord forms: ˈbusier or ˈbusiest
1.
occupied in some activity; at work; not idle
2.
full of activity; characterized by much action or motion
4.
meddlesome
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈbusied or ˈbusying
SYNONYMY NOTE: busy suggests active employment in some task or activity, either temporarily or habitually
[I'm busy just now]; industrious suggests habitual devotion to one's work or activity [an industrious salesclerk]; diligent implies unremitting attention, usually to a particular task, and connotes enjoyment
in the task itself [a diligent student of music]; assiduous suggests painstaking, persevering preoccupation with some task [assiduous study]; sedulous implies unremitting devotion to a task until the goal is reached [a sedulous investigation of the crime]6.
to make or keep busy
often used reflexively
OPPOSITES: idle, lazy
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
busyness (ˈbusyness) noun
Word origin of 'busy'
ME busi < OE bisig, occupied, diligent; akin to Du bezig: seen only in LowG & EExample sentences containing 'busy'
Times, Sunday Times (2015) Times, Sunday Times (2012) Times, Sunday Times (2015) The Sun (2007) The Sun (2015) Times, Sunday Times (2016) Personnel Management: A New Approach (1991) The Sun (2011) Times, Sunday Times (2014) Exploring language (6th edn) (1995) Times, Sunday Times (2008) The Sun (2007) The Sun (2014) The Sun (2015) THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004) Infinite in All Directions (1989) Times, Sunday Times (2006) Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The programme will probably keep radio phone-in lines busy today on the rights and wrongs of wrinkly parents.
Times, Sunday Times (2010) Times, Sunday Times (2007)Trends of 'busy'
View usage over:
Translations for 'busy'
British English: busy /ˈbɪzɪ/
ADJECTIVE
person If you are busy, you have a lot of things to do.We were busy cleaning the house.
person If you are busy, you have a lot of things to do.We were busy cleaning the house.
- Arabic: مَشْغول
- Brazilian Portuguese: ocupado ocupada
- Chinese: 忙碌的
- Croatian: zaposlen zaposlena
- Czech: zaneprázdněný
- Danish: travl
- Dutch: druk actief
- European Spanish: ocupado ocupada
- Finnish: kiireinen
- French: occupé
- German: beschäftigt
- Greek: απασχολημένος απασχολημένη
- Italian: occupato occupata
- Japanese: 忙しい
- Korean: 바쁜
- Norwegian: opptatt
- Polish: zajęty zajęta
- Portuguese: ocupado ocupada
- Romanian: ocupat ocupat, ocupată, ocupați, ocupate
- Russian: занятой занятая
- Spanish: ocupado ocupada
- Swedish: upptagen upptaget
- Thai: ยุ่งวุ่นวาย
- Turkish: meşgul
- Ukrainian: зайнятий
- Vietnamese: bận rộn
British English: busy /ˈbɪzɪ/ ADJECTIVE
place A busy place is full of people.The shops are busy today.
place A busy place is full of people.The shops are busy today.
- Arabic: مُزْدَحِم
- Brazilian Portuguese: lotado lotada
- Chinese: 熙攘的
- Croatian: prepun
- Czech: rušný
- Danish: travl travlt / travle
- Dutch: druk
- European Spanish: lleno
- Finnish: tungokseen asti täysi
- French: comble
- German: betriebsam
- Greek: γεμάτος γεμάτη
- Italian: pieno piena
- Japanese: 混雑した
- Korean: 붐비는
- Norwegian: travel
- Polish: zatłoczony zatłoczona
- Portuguese: cheio
- Romanian: aglomerat aglomerat, aglomerată, aglomerați, aglomerate
- Russian: многолюдный
- Spanish: concurrido concurrida
- Swedish: full fullt
- Thai: จอแจ พลุกพล่าน
- Turkish: kalabalık
- Ukrainian: заповнений
- Vietnamese: đông
British English: busy VERB
If you busy yourself with something, you occupy yourself by dealing with it.He busied himself with the camera.
If you busy yourself with something, you occupy yourself by dealing with it.He busied himself with the camera.
- Brazilian Portuguese: ocupar-se
- Chinese: 使忙于
- European Spanish: entretenerse (con algo)
- French: s'occuper
- German: sich beschäftigen
- Italian: occupare
- Japanese: 忙しくする
- Korean: ~하느라 바쁘다
- Portuguese: ocupar-se
- Spanish: entretenerse(con algo)
Source
Definition of busy from the
Collins English Dictionary
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