# otherwise engaged

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/otherwise-engaged
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

busy doing something else

## Examples

- I cannot help you today because I am otherwise engaged.
- I would love to join your party, but I am otherwise engaged with a work project all evening.
- Although the professor was invited to the gala, he politely declined, stating he was otherwise engaged with his ongoing research.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.