busyadjective
uk/ˈbɪz.i/us/ˈbɪz.i/busy adjective (DOING THINGS)
A2 If you are busy, you are working hard, or giving your attention to a particular thing:
Mum was busy in the kitchen.
The kids are busy with their homework.
She's busy writing out the wedding invitations.
I've got plenty of jobs to keep you busy.
He was too busy talking to notice us come in.
A1 A busy place is full of activity or people:
a busy restaurant
Their house is near a very busy road.
A2 In a busy period, you have a lot of things to do:
I have a busy week ahead of me.
You've had a busy day.
UK also engaged If a phone line is busy, someone is using it:
I tried calling you but the line was busy.
More examples
- The meeting will have to wait until tomorrow, because I'm too busy now.
- Davies is busy adapting Brinkworth's latest novel for television.
- She's busy knitting baby clothes.
- A bomb exploded at one of London's busiest railway stations this morning.
- I like to keep busy.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Busy and active
- a hive of activity/industry idiom
- arena
- be (as) busy as a bee idiom
- be all go idiom
- be at work idiom
- be back in harness idiom
- buzz
- foot
- hard-working
- harness
- have (got) sth on
- have sth on your plate idiom
- have your hands full idiom
- hurly-burly
- knee-deep
- mad
- spread
- stimulating
- tie sb up
- well away idiom
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Unavailable and inaccessible
busy adjective (WITH PATTERNS)
disapproving having too much decoration or too many colours:
The jacket was a bit too busy for my tastes - I'd prefer something plainer.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Complexity
- a paper chase idiom
- advanced
- all-singing
- be more to sth than meets the eye idiom
- bleeding-edge
- equation
- fancy
- high-tech
- intractable
- intricacy
- intricate
- many-sided
- plot
- purple
- sophisticated
- tangled
- the plot thickens idiom
- thereby
- thereby hangs a tale idiom
- wheel
See more results »
busyness
noun [ U ] /ˈbɪz.i.nəs//ˈbɪz.i.nəs/
Some of us can handle more busyness and activity than others.
the busyness of the traffic
busyverb
uk/ˈbɪz.i/us/ˈbɪz.i/busy yourself
to make the time pass by doing something:
I busied myself with tidying up my desk.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Acting and acts
- (your) every move idiom
- -ation
- act/do sth on your own responsibility idiom
- action
- activity
- agency
- ant
- be up to sth idiom
- feel
- gambit
- give yourself over/up to sth
- go about sth
- go about your business idiom
- go through with sth
- hand
- initiative
- manoeuvre
- manoeuvring
- money
- up to
See more results »