1 C1 neutral
To move energetically from place to place carrying out various tasks or chores.
"She was busying around the kitchen all afternoon, preparing food for the party."
busy around
C1 neutral intransitive
To move about busily doing various tasks; to keep occupied with activity.
In plain English
To rush around doing lots of small jobs or tasks.
What does "busy around" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To keep busy while moving around.
Actually means
To rush around doing lots of small jobs or tasks.
Usage tip
Less common than 'bustle around'. May be dialectal or an older form. Rarely encountered in modern standard English; learners are better served learning 'bustle around' or 'busy yourself with'.
Words that pair with "busy around"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
house kitchen morning chores tasks home
How to conjugate "busy around"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
busy around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
busies around
he/she/it
Past simple
busied around
yesterday
Past participle
busied around
have + pp
-ing form
busying around
continuous
Hear "busy around" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "busy around" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "busy around"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
be busy bustle around dash about fuss about rush around
Keep exploring
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