Definition of BUSY

busy

Meanings

Plural: busies

Verb

  • keep busy with
  • To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.

Adjective

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

Adjective Satellite

  • overcrowded or cluttered with detail
    • "a busy painting"
  • intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
    • "busy about other people's business"
  • crowded with or characterized by much activity
    • "a very busy week"
    • "a busy life"
    • "a busy street"
    • "a busy seaport"
  • (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"
    • "kept getting a busy signal"

Adj

  • Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
  • Engaged in activity or by someone else; bustling.
  • Having much work to do; having much to get done.
  • Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.
  • Officious; meddling.

Noun

  • A police officer.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Antonyms

idle

Scrabble Score: 9

busy is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
busy is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
busy is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

busy is a valid Words With Friends word