busy
/ˈbɪzi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɪzi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbi-zē/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbɪz.i/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɪz.i/ (ame, ipa)
busy — adjective
1. spending your time and energy on a task right now, so that your mind and hands a
spending your time and energy on a task right now, so that your mind and hands are fully on it.
Maya is busy painting her bedroom wall a soft yellow.
busy + -ing verb showing current activity
Please don't bother Dad — he's busy with the tax forms.
busy with + noun for the focus of attention
The bees were busy moving from flower to flower in the garden.
Carlos kept himself busy fixing the old bicycle all afternoon.
Lina was busy writing her speech when the lights went out.
文法句型
busy + -ing verb
busy with + noun
用法筆記
Almost always followed by an -ing form or by 'with' + noun when you want to say WHAT the person is doing. Without that complement, the meaning shifts toward sense 2 (no free time).
常見錯誤
2. having so many things on your schedule that you cannot meet, talk, or take on mo
having so many things on your schedule that you cannot meet, talk, or take on more, even if you want to.
Sorry, Marcus is too busy to come to the phone right now.
too busy + to-infinitive for refusal
I'm really busy this Friday — can we have lunch next week instead?
Dr. Tanaka was busy all morning, so the nurse took my message.
Are you busy tonight, or do you want to watch a movie?
- unavailable
neutral and clear, but slightly more formal
- tied up
informal idiom; suggests temporary blockage by other tasks
文法句型
too busy to + verb
busy + this week / today
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here 'busy' stands alone or is followed by 'too busy to + verb', not by an -ing form. The focus is on UNAVAILABILITY for something new, not on what you are doing now.
常見錯誤
3. describing a street, shop, station, or other place where many people, cars, or t
describing a street, shop, station, or other place where many people, cars, or things are moving around at the same time.
Taipei Main Station gets really busy on Friday evenings before holidays.
busy + [place noun] showing crowd movement
The little café sits on a busy corner near the night market.
We crossed three busy streets to reach the children's hospital.
London's airports are busiest in the days before Christmas.
Ana opened her bookshop on a quiet lane, far from busy roads.
文法句型
a busy + [place noun]
用法筆記
Subject is typically a place, road, station, market, or shop — not a person. Compare with senses 1 and 2, where the subject is a person.
常見錯誤
4. describing a day, week, month, or season that is packed with appointments, jobs,
describing a day, week, month, or season that is packed with appointments, jobs, or events from start to finish.
December is always a busy month for the post office in Taiwan.
busy + [time noun] for packed periods
After a busy week at school, the children slept until lunchtime on Saturday.
Doctors face their busiest hours between 7 and 10 in the morning.
Our café had a busy summer because of the new music festival.
文法句型
a busy + [time noun]
用法筆記
Subject is a period of time. Distinguish from sense 1 (person doing something) and sense 3 (place full of movement). The same time word can pair with several adjectives — compare 'a busy week' (full of tasks) with 'a long week' (felt slow).
5. of a telephone line: already carrying another call, so a new caller cannot get t
of a telephone line: already carrying another call, so a new caller cannot get through and hears a repeating tone.
I tried calling Grandma three times, but the line was busy.
the line + be + busy for in-use phone
Every time Jamal rang the clinic, he got a busy signal.
collocation: busy signal (American English)
If the number is busy, please hang up and try again in a minute.
The radio station's phone-in line stayed busy for almost an hour.
- engaged
British equivalent for the same telephone meaning
- free
the line is not in use; a call can go through
文法句型
the line is busy
a busy signal / busy tone
用法筆記
Mainly American. British speakers usually say 'engaged' for a phone line in use. Subject must be the phone, line, or number — not the caller.
常見錯誤
6. of a pattern, design, or image: packed with so many shapes, colours, or small pa
of a pattern, design, or image: packed with so many shapes, colours, or small parts that the eye cannot rest and the result feels noisy.
The wallpaper in the hallway is far too busy for such a small room.
negative aesthetic judgement: too busy
Designers warn that a busy logo is hard to read on a phone screen.
Sarah swapped her busy floral dress for a plain blue one before the interview.
The book cover felt busy, with five fonts fighting for attention.
文法句型
a busy + [design noun]
用法筆記
Almost always negative or critical in tone. Subject is a visual thing: pattern, design, page, image, room, outfit. Often paired with 'too' or 'a bit'.
常見錯誤
busy — verb
1. to fill your own time and attention with a small task, often to avoid thinking a
to fill your own time and attention with a small task, often to avoid thinking about something else or to seem occupied.
While the others argued, Lina busied herself with the dishes in the sink.
reflexive: busy + oneself + with + noun
Marcus busied himself sorting old photographs after his mother left the room.
reflexive + -ing form for chosen activity
The nervous waiter busied himself wiping tables that were already clean.
Yuki busied herself with her phone so she would not have to greet him.
- occupy oneself
very close in meaning; slightly more neutral
- potter (about)
British informal; suggests gentle, unhurried small tasks
- relax
to stop activity and rest, the opposite of filling time with tasks
文法句型
busy oneself with + noun
busy oneself + -ing verb
用法筆記
Almost always reflexive (busy oneself). The activity is usually small, repetitive, or chosen as a distraction, not the main work of someone's day. More common in novels and journalism than in spoken English.