busy: meaning and words from its letters
4 letters · 9 letter points · starts with B · ends with Y
Meaning of busy
adj
Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
Example: Be careful crossing that busy street.
Engaged with or preoccupied by an activity or person.
Example: The director cannot see you now: he's busy.
Having much work to do; having much to get done.
Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.
Example: Flowers, stripes, and checks in the same fabric make for a busy pattern.
Listed forms: busier, busiest, busie.
Source: Wiktionary — busy.
noun
- UK, derogatory, slang
A police officer.
Listed forms: busies, busie.
Source: Wiktionary — busy.
verb
- reflexive, transitive, usually
To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.
Example: On my vacation I'll busy myself with gardening.
Listed forms: busies, busying, busied.
Source: Wiktionary — busy.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for busy.
adjective
overcrowded or cluttered with detail
adjective
intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
- interfering
- meddlesome
- meddling
- officious
- busybodied
adjective
(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)
- engaged
- in use
verb
keep busy with
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is busy in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of busy
B(3) + U(1) + S(1) + Y(4) = 9 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of busy
1 other standard-list word uses exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from busy
5 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in busy. Showing up to 24, longest first.