[v] engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively; "His work preoccupies him"; "The matter preoccupies her completley--she cannot think of anything else"
[v] occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance; "the army preoccupied the hills"
See Also...
appropriate, capture, command, conquer, control, ghost, haunt, obsess, prepossess, seize, take over, usurp
Misc. Definitions
\Pre*oc"cu*py\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Preoccupied} (-p[=i]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Preoccupying}.] [Cf. F. pr['e]occuper. See {Preoccupate}, {Occupy}.]
1. To take possession of before another; as, to preoccupy a country not before held.
2. To prepossess; to engage, occupy, or engross the attention of, beforehand; hence, to prejudice. I Think it more respectful to the reader to leave something to reflections than to preoccupy his judgment. --Arbuthnot.