Occupy the attention of (7)
I believe the answer is:
engross
'occupy the attention of' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for engross that I've seen before include "Totally absorb the attention of" , "grab attention" , "Rivet" , "Completely absorb" , "Absorb the attention of (someone)" .)