busy meaning

UK /ˈbɪzi/ US /ˈbɪzi/ 2 syllables

busy (adjective): actively or fully engaged or occupied.

busy has 6 meanings in this dictionary, as adjective and verb.

busy as an adjective

  1. actively or fully engaged or occupied
    • busy with her work
    • a busy man
    • too busy to eat lunch

    Opposite: idle

    Similar: at work, drudging, engaged, overbusy, tied up, up to

    Related forms: busyness

  2. overcrowded or cluttered with detail
    • a busy painting
    • a fussy design

    Synonyms: fussy

    Similar: fancy

  3. intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
    • an interfering old woman
    • bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself
    • busy about other people's business

    Synonyms: interfering, meddlesome, meddling, officious, busybodied

    Similar: intrusive

  4. crowded with or characterized by much activity
    • a very busy week
    • a busy life
    • a busy street
    • a busy seaport

    Similar: active

    Related forms: busyness

  5. (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)
    • her line is busy
    • receptionists' telephones are always engaged
    • the lavatory is in use
    • kept getting a busy signal

    Synonyms: engaged, in use

    Similar: occupied

    Related forms: busyness

busy as a verb

  1. keep busy with
    • She busies herself with her butterfly collection

    Synonyms: occupy

    Type of: work

    Kinds: potter, dabble

How to pronounce busy

busy is pronounced /ˈbɪzi/ in British English and /ˈbɪzi/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with busy

Word lists: words starting with BU · words ending in SY · 4-letter words

More about busy on Wikipedia.