I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a busy port
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Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest ports.
a busy/hectic lifestyle
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Many people these days have a busy lifestyle.
busy Lizzie
busy schedule
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How can he fit everything into his busy schedule ?
busy
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The motorway is always busy around Birmingham.
busy (= with a lot of traffic )
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The children have to cross a busy road to get to school.
busy (= with a lot of traffic or people )
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The house faces onto a busy street.
busy/bustling
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The town was busy even in November.
far too much/long/busy etc
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That’s far too much to pay.
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It would take me far too long to explain.
keep sb busy/amused/occupied
▪
some toys to keep the kids amused
lead a normal/quiet/busy etc life
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If the operation succeeds, Carly will be able to lead a normal life.
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He has led a charmed life been very fortunate .
the line is busy (= someone is already using it )
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I’m sorry, the line is busy .
the phone is busy ( also the phone is engaged British English ) (= the person you are calling is already speaking to someone else )
▪
I tried you earlier, but your phone was engaged.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
always
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The Aladdin was always busy , and employed three full-time barmen.
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Pauline is always busy breeding new machines so that the ecology of the circus keeps evolving.
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She was always busy - I've got seven sisters and three brothers.
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His hands are always busy and his mouth never stops.
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He has his day off in the middle of the week because we are always busy at the weekends.
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People are always busy , like the flies and ants.
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It was called the Swan and was always busy .
as
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Even without tolls, country roads are likely to be three times as busy in 2025 as they are today.
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Not that he had much free time, for he kept himself as busy as ever in the district.
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Keep as busy as possible today and remember to hold yourself up, tucking your bottom under and pulling your tummy in.
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So far 1991 looks to be as busy as last year with two or three performances booked for almost every weekend.
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He says things have been getting more busy but it's still not as busy as it was last year.
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The waiter flurried between them, as busy as if the room were full.
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For the rest, the two goalkeepers were as busy as bookends.
extremely
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Especially when the traffic towards the city was probably extremely busy .
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We were extremely busy from the start.
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The head-teacher is extremely busy preparing for a meeting.
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The department is extremely busy and all existing machine and labour capacity is fully occupied.
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They get extremely busy pre- Christmas, so it fits in well.
so
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He'd been so busy that afternoon that he'd completely forgotten to call her.
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At dinner parties, people were so busy chewing there was scarcely time for conversation.
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Richard Dreyfuss is so busy , he hired his own full-time political consultant.
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I was so busy with the orchard business I really didn't have any time to have any more.
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Services in Derbyshire were so busy that they needed to call for assistance from neighbouring Nottinghamshire.
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He's been so busy catching murderers we've hardly seen each other for three weeks.
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Not that we had much time for feeling anything, we were so busy in the Met Office just then.
still
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Giving the still busy Josh a parting wave, the two of them started back.
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My life was still busy from morning to night.
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James Kelly: His pen is still busy , his eye for the news as discerning as ever.
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So quickly that she could scarcely credit it, they emerged into a well-lit square where several open-air cafés were still busy .
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And even after we spent the night together you were still busy distrusting me.
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A year after the Darlington Help Furniture project was launched, volunteer workers are still busy organising furniture switches throughout the town.
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It was still busy at eight in the evening.
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And Cymbeline - bless her heart - is down by the fence, still busy making tea for the workers.
too
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He was too busy thinking of the possible ramifications of a jumpy Grand Duke imagining every bush a Nihilist bear.
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We were too busy admiring the town to let their griping bother us.
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Elizabeth: Well, I'd always been a bit too busy - and clever!
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But Dad said they were too busy to spare him; told him to wait a few days.
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I've been too busy auditioning.
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My life, as usual, is too busy , too near chaos.
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The horses did not get breakfast that morning: everyone was too busy .
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The faculty were too busy trying to be great men rather than great professors.
very
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Well yes, Angie had been very busy and preoccupied with the wedding preparations, naturally, but she had been happy.
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He was very busy but he was prepared to see me because Lynda had recommended me.
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Yet on very busy days the students will be under stress and unable to concentrate on learning new skills.
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Alas, this is a very busy morning.
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The two solicitors had been very busy dashing round Orkney gathering character witnesses.
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Everyone is great looking and very , very busy .
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But I had a very busy day.
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Luckily Jean was very busy at work, and that provided a distraction.
■ NOUN
day
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Yet on very busy days the students will be under stress and unable to concentrate on learning new skills.
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Gon na be a busy day tomorrow.
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And it's such a busy day for trains.
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Genest still had a busy day working.
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Princess Diana spent a busy day in Tyne and Wear as scheduled.
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It must have been a busy day , Trevor; you sound tense.
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It appears she'd been unlucky to choose a particularly busy day .
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They had yet another stop in a busy day of retail politicking.
life
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He now leads a busy life as an honorary chaplain in York Minster.
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Alvin moved back immediately into the busy life of rehearsing and teaching at Clark Center.
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She loved him so much, and to realise that she was only an episode in his busy life was bitter indeed.
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With the move to New York and her busy life , Sam hardly got to see her.
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This means that there is no need for the barrenness of a busy life .
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If you lead a hectic and busy life , you may find that your stomach is affected.
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His desk may be tidy but the drawers are bulging with bits and bobs that reveal a busy life .
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She ran the village shop, and hers was a busy life indeed.
making
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Tents had gone up and the temporary occupants were busy making themselves at home.
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Meanwhile the campaigners are busy making protest banners.
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They are too busy making money to worry about paying bills. 8.
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She's too busy making arrangements to leave for Bristol to worry about us.
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And Cymbeline - bless her heart - is down by the fence, still busy making tea for the workers.
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Too busy making a dead set at young Mr Merrivale.
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She went to the kitchen, where the dedicated housekeeper was busy making batches of tiny delicacies for tomorrow's drinks.
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Most were writing up reports between assignments, or busy making arrangements by telephone.
man
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He's such a busy man .
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The Comandante is a busy man .
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Among the many fictions maintained in ffeatherstonehaugh's was that committee members were busy men .
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I felt embarrassed to ask this busy man for an appointment.
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Great-Grandfather was running a farm at the same time, so he must have been a very busy man .
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He's a busy man , with a demanding career.
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But he's a busy man , with a lot of interests.
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But then, they are such busy men , they rush away.
people
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Paging from Vodapage gives busy people like you the freedom to go about your business and get the message.
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Personnel managers and employers are busy people and do not have time to wade through a thirty page resume.
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As we are all busy people we might not have time to repeat the picture on to a larger surface.
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Jones knew how little time busy people have to pay their bills or keep their finances in order.
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Many busy people will appreciate a responsible person exercising their horses.
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Without ceremony, we headed past all these busy people and knocked on the half-open door of the secretary's office.
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Microwaves have been adopted by busy people up and down the country.
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It should be recognised that, in general, it will be read by busy people and therefore should be concise.
road
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Read in studio Finally, traffic on a busy road was brought to a standstill this afternoon ... by a train.
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It's amazing how many schools that front busy roads have name boards but no notice boards.
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My grandparents' village was a small place off the main road , away from busy roads and with no mains services.
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The gates led right on to a busy road , there were some derelict public loos next door and a boating lake opposite.
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You must also choose an area where there is little traffic, with no busy roads nearby.
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He stepped on to the busy road and dragged badly injured Scott clear of the traffic.
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For this reason, start by choosing a relatively quiet environment rather than a busy road .
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Standard rooms overlook a busy road but those with sea view are quieter.
schedule
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I have a busy schedule for the next few days, so I may not be in touch.
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They were both flying and had very busy schedules .
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David never missed a training session, seminar or meeting, he always managed to fit everything into his busy schedule .
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Dennis had a very busy schedule with all of these commitments.
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Coincidentally, I had a very busy schedule as Foreign Secretary at that time.
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He had to rely on the busy schedules of Brooks and his busy grad students.
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You can't fit me into your busy schedule .
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They visit Twickenham on November 14 as part of a busy schedule that follows rugby reunification between the races.
signal
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No busy signals , paper jams, or failed attempts.
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The busy signal , he saw now, had not been arbitrary.
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Again, the Brapid busy signal that meant no connection.
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All three dialed up without encountering any busy signals when tested Thursday morning.
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Many of its 8 million members get busy signals when they try to connect.
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He thought I was home, but all he got was a busy signal .
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But most people found only busy signals , as structural damage and call volume overwhelmed local phone systems.
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For many who use e-mail in their businesses, the busy signals are more than an inconvenience.
street
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Do children have to cross a busy street to get to it?
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So they reached the city without interference and walked unnoticed through the busy streets .
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For the last couple of weeks, I had two posters in my windows, facing on to a fairly busy street .
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Puffs of hardened car exhaust linger in the air on busy streets .
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The smell of stewed eels streams from a steaming vat into the busy street .
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No one bothers us as we walk through the busy streets .
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Far ahead he could see a sloping ramp that led up to a wide mouth gaping into a busy street .
time
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It's a busy time on the Mersey for sea anglers as the winter whiting and cod come within casting range.
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Besides, December is a very busy time .
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Production is now in full swing - a busy time on the road to success.
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This was a busy time of day for the hot line people.
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At busy times , 100 or more fishing boats often work in the area.
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July is a busy time of preparation!
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The tolls are likely to be restricted to particularly congested areas, and busy times such as rush hours.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a busy bee
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a busy airport
▪
a busy freeway
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Angela was becoming more and more unhappy, but her husband was too busy to notice.
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Critics say the mayor is too busy campaigning to do his job properly.
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Even though it was eight o'clock the market was still busy .
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He's retired now, but his work for the youth club keeps him busy .
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I'm going to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.
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I'm kind of busy now, can I call you back?
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I've been trying to call the customer helpline, but all I'm getting is a busy signal.
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I called Mom again, but it was still busy .
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It's busy . I'll call again later.
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July is our busiest month, when all the tourists come.
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Not now Stephen, I'm busy .
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Paris nowadays is a busy and crowded metropolis.
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Restaurant managers often employ temporary staff at busy times of the year.
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She's a busy mother of four with a full time job.
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She's very busy -- it's her daughter's wedding next week.
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She tried to call Lisa, but the phone was busy .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Boots' progress was accompanied by a variety of stories as in often busy trading the shares gained 9p to 294p.
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Everyone else was busy , so I launched the small rubber dinghy and started rowing.
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I decided I would urge her to take some time off, what with the busy holiday season looming ahead.
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In the words of one interviewee: You're just too busy .
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Its 77 buildings containing 430 apartments are laid out in drab-looking rows along busy Van Nuys Boulevard.
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Richards came back and signalled clearly, but Tribe was busy with his gun again.
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They pretty much run the place themselves, relying on occasional help only on busy weekends.
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They were too busy taking money out.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
too
▪
Far too busy for feeling sorry.
▪
The rest of the group had been too busy out enjoying themselves to think about the potential consequences of Leila's absence.
■ NOUN
day
▪
Anyway, I'd been very busy the day before and Doreen had irritated me for other reasons.
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Norm was very busy these days , and often did not come home for dinner.
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They were both busy all day apart from meal breaks and it was not easy to get Vi on her own.
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Getting to know Mr Rochester Thornfield Hall became quite busy the next day , now that the master had returned.
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I've been very busy these last few days .
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The courtship, territory-defending days have given way to busy days of food-seeking and brood-raising.
keep
▪
Viewed that way, New Zealand has a lively industry that keeps actors busy .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
However, she took Tom's advice and busied herself preparing for Anna's wedding day.
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I was not prepared to contemplate such an inconvenient find, so I busied myself elsewhere.
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So we busy ourselves about the house or go on holiday in much the same way as we do our jobs.
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Two days before the opening Soo stayed in the shop and busied herself with white paint and a large board.
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While Steve was busying himself John asked him about the bridge and the strange feeling in the cutting.