/,pri:ɒkjʊ'peɪʃn; pri,ɑkjə`peʃən/
n
1 [U]
(a) state of being preoccupied; absent-mindedness 占据思想; 心不在焉.
(b) ~ (with sth) state of constantly thinking or worrying about sth; obsession 全神贯注; 苦思苦想; 缠在心头; 如痴如迷
*She found his preoccupation with money irritating. 她发觉他心里只有钱, 感到很生气.
2 [C] thing that a person thinks about all the time 心里总想着的事物; 耿耿于怀的事物
*His main preoccupation at that time was getting enough to eat. 他那时盘算的是如何填饱肚子.
* A pension is not usually one of the preoccupations of an eighteen year-old! 一个十八岁的人通常是不会老惦着养老金的!

n
[singular,U]
when someone thinks or worries about something a lot, with the result that they do not pay attention to other things
preoccupation with
　the current preoccupation with sex and scandal
　The management's preoccupation with costs and profits resulted in a drop in quality and customer service.
[C]
something that you give all your attention to
main/chief/central etc preoccupation
　Their main preoccupation was how to feed their families.