being busy

Meanings

1. 1phraseuncountable

   the state of having a lot of things to do or paying close attention to something.

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it can be the subject or object of a sentence, and it does not take 'a' or a plural form.

   Patterns

   • being busy with something
   • being busy doing something
   • the state of being busy

   Being busy at work keeps her from worrying about small problems.

   He enjoys being busy with his hands on the weekend.

   Being busy is not the same as being productive.

2. 2phraseuncountable

   the act of making a telephone line or a place occupied and unavailable.

   Grammar: This sense appears in explanations of telephone signals or room use; it is less common than the everyday sense.

   Patterns

   • the line being busy
   • being busy all morning

   The message said the line was busy, so I called again later.

   The hotel apologized for the room being busy when we arrived early.

Common combinations

being busy with work

She has been busy with work all week.

being busy doing something

He likes being busy doing useful things.

keep someone busy

The new project will keep you busy.

too busy to do something

I was too busy to answer the phone.

busy schedule

A busy schedule can make rest difficult.

Synonyms and how they differ

occupied

More formal; it often means your attention or time is taken by a specific task.

engaged

Often used for someone who is doing something at the moment and cannot do anything else.

active

Focuses on doing many things in general, not on having a full schedule right now.

Opposites

Word family

busy adjective

having a lot to do or full of activity.

busily adverb

in a busy, active way.

busyness noun

the state of being busy, often with many tasks.

Commonly confused: being busy or business?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “being busy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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