busier; busiest
1
a
: engaged in action : occupied
She's busy studying.
has enough work to keep him busy for a while
b
: being in use
found the telephone busy
2
: full of activity : bustling
a busy seaport
3
: foolishly or intrusively active : meddling
a busy, fussy sort of man much concerned with regulating everything—
A. M. Young
A. M. Young4
: full of distracting detail
a busy design
busied; busying
: to make engaged in action : to make busy (see busy entry 1 sense 1a) : occupy
busied herself about the room
: bustle
small boats busied to and fro—Quentin Crewe
Quentin CreweSynonyms
Examples of busy in a Sentence
Adjective
She's busy preparing for her test.
Are you busy? Can I talk to you for a minute?
I will be busy cleaning the house.
I'm sorry I haven't called. I've been so busy.
busy people who don't have time to cook
I got enough work to keep me busy for a while.
He is a very busy person.
He's been busy in the kitchen all afternoon.
My week has been so busy!
Is there any time in your busy schedule for us to have lunch next week?
Verb
the video game busied the child for hours
Recent Examples on the Web
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024
Last year, a 22-year-old man drove his car into a crowd in a busy district in the southern city of Guangzhou, killing five people.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
So how can busy parents make creativity a part of daily life for their children?
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for busy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The busy news cycle will quickly move on from Insurance-Fraud Bear, and soon this whole ordeal will fade from our collective memory, much like the many silly bear stories of yesteryear.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024
Last year, a 22-year-old man drove his car into a crowd in a busy district in the southern city of Guangzhou, killing five people.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
Sheltering at the Iron Horse In Hot Springs, a river town of 520 residents at the confluence of Spring Creek and the French Broad, Connor Goss busied himself with canceling reservations at the Iron Horse Station and processing refunds.
—Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
So how can busy parents make creativity a part of daily life for their children?
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for busy
Dictionary Entries Near busy
Cite this Entry
“Busy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/busy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
busy
1 of 2 adjective
busier; busiest
1
a
: involved in action : actively at work
too busy to eat
b
: being in use
the phone line is busy
2
: full of activity
a busy street
busy
2 of 2 verb
busied; busying
: to make or keep busy
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share