busy

Examples

• All

• All afternoon, the store is busy, people buying pork roasts and whole chickens for tomorrow's big Sunday dinner.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Uh, the doctor is busy right now, but he'll be able to see you next time.

  The Dentist (1996)

• Sorry, all circuits are busy.

  A Town Full of Ghosts (2022)

• - I'm afraid she's busy at the moment.

  Bullitt (1968)

• Patsy circumvented the busy city center and took Stanningley Road to Armley.

  Fiction book (1996)

• I'm sorry, but the line is busy; please try again later.

• The restroom is currently busy, so you'll have to wait a moment.

• When I called the office, I found that the phone line was busy all afternoon.

Synonyms

I

in use

vsbusy

49 1.0

Taken by someone so it is not free or available

is the term for a facility being taken and thus unavailable

C

congested

vsbusy

14 4.4

Too full to allow movement, for example during heavy traffic

applies to a single facility being used rather than wide traffic blockage

J

jammed

vsbusy

1 2.3

Full of people or things with no space left

refers to one item being unavailable due to a user, not wide crowding

E

engaged

vsbusy

• UK

3.2

Already in use so you cannot use it

is used to say a facility is already taken and not available

O

occupied

vsbusy

1.8

Busy doing something and not free to do other things

focuses on facilities being blocked from use rather than active tasks

Antonyms

A

available

∞ 2.3

Able to be used or bought and not in use now

Idioms

B

busy as a bee

• Informal

1 3.4

Working very hard all the time

B

busy little beaver

• Informal

1 6.2

A very active person who works hard and gets many things done

Compounds

B

busy bee

• Informal

3 2.9

A person who always works hard and stays active

How Occupied

busy

86 1.0

engaged

• UK

3.2

in use

49 1.0

idle

57 2.8

available

∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

Etymology