different between preoccupy vs reoccupy

English

Etymology

From pre- +? occupy, after Middle French preoccuper, and its source, Latin praeoccupo, praeoccupare. Doublet of preoccupate, now obsolete.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p????kjupa?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /p?i??kjupa?/

Verb

preoccupy (third-person singular simple present preoccupies, present participle preoccupying, simple past and past participle preoccupied)

1. (transitive) To distract; to occupy or draw attention elsewhere. [from 16th c.]
2. (transitive, obsolete) To occupy or take possession of beforehand. [16th–19th c.]
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, vol. III, ch. 91:

     Terrified at this uproar, […] she ran for shelter into the place which was pre-occupied by the other lady […] .

Related terms

• preoccupation

Translations

English

Etymology

re- +? occupy

Verb

reoccupy (third-person singular simple present reoccupies, present participle reoccupying, simple past and past participle reoccupied)

1. (transitive) To occupy again.