busy
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busy¹
- /ˈbɪz.i/
Rhymes with -ɪzi
Where it comes from
From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), Low German besig (“busy”). The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects while the Modern English pronunciation with /ɪ/ is from the dialects of the East Midlands.
adjective busier · busiest · busie
- Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on. Be careful crossing that busy street.
- Engaged with or preoccupied by an activity or person. The director cannot see you now: he's busy.
-
Having much work to do; having much to get done.
Near-synonym: swamped
Similar: swamped
- Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate. Flowers, stripes, and checks in the same fabric make for a busy pattern.
- Officious; meddling. I will be hanged if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue, Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, Have not devised this slander; I'll be hanged else.
Similar: swamped
noun busies · busie
- A police officer. I remember playing on a building site once and coming across a five-pound note. I could hardly believe it when I spotted it poking out of the rubble. Excitedly, I ran straight home and gave it to my mum. I was hero of the hour until I got into trouble with the busies – the police – soon afterwards f
busy²
- /ˈbɪz.i/
Rhymes with -ɪzi
Where it comes from
From Middle English bisien, from Old English bisgian (“to occupy, employ, trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīgōn. Cognate with Old Frisian bisgia (“to use”).
verb busies · busying · busied
- To make somebody busy or active; to occupy. On my vacation I'll busy myself with gardening.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tied up, overbusy, laboring, toiling, labouring, meddlesome, meddling, interfering, intrusive, fussy, up to, occupied, officious, fancy, occupy, active
adjective
Similar: swamped
Translations
Every language
adj crowded with business or activities
| Español | ocupado, concurrido, bisi |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 繁華 hanka, 賑やか nigiyaka |
| 中文 | 忙 máng, 繁忙 fánmáng |
| हिन्दी | व्यस्त vyast |
| Português | movimentado |
| Français | occupé |
| Deutsch | beschäftigt |
| Italiano | indaffarato |
| Ελληνικά | πολυσύχναστος polysýchnastos |
| العربية | مَشْغُول mašḡūl |
| עברית | עָמוּס 'amús, סוֹאֵן so'én, הוֹמֶה homé |
adj doing a great deal
| Español | ocupado, bisi, hasta las manos, hasta las guachas, hasta la huacha, hasta la guacha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 바쁜 bappeun, 바쁘다 bappeuda |
| 日本語 | 忙しい isogashii, 使用中 shiyō-chū |
| 中文 | 忙 máng, 繁忙 fánmáng |
| हिन्दी | व्यस्त vyast, मसरूफ़ masrūf, मशग़ूल maśġūl |
| Kiswahili | bizi |
| Português | ocupado |
| Français | occupé |
| Deutsch | beschäftigt |
| Italiano | occupato |
| Ελληνικά | πολυάσχολος polyáscholos |
| Română | harnic |
| Русский | занято́й zanjatój, за́нятый zánjatyj, де́ятельный déjatelʹnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | bận, bận rộn |
| العربية | مَشْغُول mašḡūl |
| עברית | עָסוּק 'asúq, עסוקה 'asuqa |
adj engaged or preoccupied
| Español | ocupado, atareado, ajetreado |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | व्यस्त vyast |
| Português | ocupado |
| Français | occupé |
| Deutsch | besetzt, beschäftigt |
| Italiano | occupato, impegnato, busy |
| Русский | за́нятый zánjatyj |
| עברית | עסוק |
adj complicated
| Español | complicado |
|---|
verb to keep busy with
| Português | ocupar |
|---|---|
| Français | se livrer |
| Deutsch | beschäftigen |
Talk about this word "busy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/busy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. busy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/busy "busy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/busy.Cite this
@misc{busy_2026,
title = {busy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/busy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
