busy

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Engaged in activity, as work; occupied.
2. adj. Sustaining much activity: a busy morning; a busy street.
3. adj. Meddlesome; prying.
4. adj. Being in use, as a telephone line.
5. adj. Cluttered with detail to the point of being distracting: a busy design.
6. v. To make busy; occupy: busied myself preparing my tax return.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Actively or attentively engaged; closely occupied physically or mentally; intent upon that which one is doing; not at leisure: opposed to idle.
2. Active in that which does not concern one; meddling with or prying into the affairs of others; officious; importunate.
3. In constant or energetic action; rapidly moving or moved; diligently used: as, busy hands or thoughts.
4. Pertaining or due to energetic action; manifesting constant or rapid movement.
5. Requiring constant attention, as a task.
6. Filled with, active duties or employment.
7. Careful; anxious. Chaucer. Synonyms and Active, Busy, Officious, etc. (see active); diligent, assiduous, hard-working; meddling, intriguing.
8. To employ with constant attention; keep engaged; make or keep busy: as, to busy one's self with books.
9. In decoration, full of detail; overcrowded; fussy.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Doing a great deal; having a lot of things to do in the space of time given
2. adj. Engaged in another activity or by someone else.
3. adj. Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.
4. v. To make somebody busy, to keep busy with, to occupy, to make occupied.
5. v. To rush somebody.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Engaged in some business; hard at work (either habitually or only for the time being); occupied with serious affairs; not idle nor at leisure.
2. adj. Constantly at work; diligent; active.
3. adj. Crowded with business or activities; -- said of places and times.
4. adj. Officious; meddling; foolish active.
5. adj. obsolete Careful; anxious.
6. v. To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep engaged; to occupy.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
2. adj. crowded with or characterized by much activity
3. adj. (of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability; (`engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line)
4. adj. overcrowded or cluttered with detail
5. v. keep busy with
6. adj. actively or fully engaged or occupied