What does "busy" mean?
Busy: Constantly at work; diligent; active. Busy hammers closing rivets up. Shak. Religious motives . . . are so busy in the heart. Addison.
Additional senses
- 2.Crowded with business or activities; -- said of places and times; as, a busy street. To-morrow is a busy day. Shak.
- 3.Officious; meddling; foolish active. On meddling monkey, or on busy ape. Shak.
- 4.Careful; anxious. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- 5.To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep engaged; to occupy; as, to busy one's self with books. Be it thy course to busy giddy minds With foreign quarrels. Shak.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00