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busy - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'busy' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Busy [ a.]
- Engaged in some business; hard at work (either habitually or only for the time being); occupied with serious affairs; not idle nor at leisure; as, a busy merchant.
- Constantly at work; diligent; active.
- Crowded with business or activities; -- said of places and times; as, a busy street.
- Officious; meddling; foolish active.
- Careful; anxious.
2 . Busy [ v. t.]
- To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep engaged; to occupy; as, to busy one's self with books.

Meaning of 'busy' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . busy [ v]
Meaning (1):
- keep busy with
Example in sentence:
  • She busies herself with her butterfly collection
2 . busy [ a]
Meaning (2):
- actively or fully engaged or occupied
Example in sentence:
  • a busy man;
  • busy with her work;
  • too busy to eat lunch
3 . busy [ s]
Meaning (3):
- crowded with or characterized by much activity
Example in sentence:
  • a busy life;
  • a busy seaport;
  • a busy street;
  • a very busy week
Meaning (4):
- overcrowded or cluttered with detail
Example in sentence:
  • a busy painting;
  • a fussy design
Meaning (5):
- intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
Example in sentence:
  • an interfering old woman;
  • bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself;
  • busy about other people's business
Meaning (6):
- (of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability; (`engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line)
Example in sentence:
  • her line is busy;
  • kept getting a busy signal;
  • receptionists' telephones are always engaged;
  • the lavatory is in use

Nearby Words:

bus busbies busby buscon bush bushboy bushed bushel bushelage bushelman

See 'busy' also in:

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