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1. Dictionary

   Oc·cu·py

   /ˈäkyəˌpī/

   

   verb

   • 1. reside or have one's place of business in (a building): "the apartment she occupies in Manhattan" Similar live ininhabitbe the tenant oftenantlodge inbe established/ensconced inestablish/ensconce oneself intake up residence inmake one's home insettle inmove intopeoplepopulatesettlestay informal:reside indwell in
   • ▪ fill or take up (a space or time): "two long windows occupied almost the whole wall" Similar take upfillfill upcoverextend overuse uputilize
   • ▪ be situated in or at (a place or position in a system or hierarchy): "on the corporate ladder, they occupy the lowest rungs"
   • ▪ hold (a position or job): "a very different job from any that he had occupied before" Similar holdbe infillhaveinformal:hold down
   • 2. fill or preoccupy (the mind or thoughts): "her mind was occupied with alarming questions" Similar engagebusyemploydistractabsorbengrosspreoccupyholdhold the attention ofimmerseinterestinvolveentertaindivertamusebeguile
   • ▪ keep (someone) busy and active: "Sarah occupied herself taking the coffee cups over to the sink"
   • 3. take control of (a place, especially a country) by military conquest or settlement: "the region was occupied by Britain during World War I" Similar captureseizetake possession ofconquerinvadeoverruntake overcolonizegarrisonannexdominatesubjugatehegemonizeholdcommandeerrequisitionOpposite leaveabandonquit
   • ▪ enter, take control of, and stay in (a building) illegally and often forcibly, especially as a form of protest: "the workers occupied the factory"

   Word Origin Middle English: formed irregularly from Old French occuper, from Latin occupare ‘seize’. A now obsolete vulgar sense ‘have sexual relations with’ seems to have led to the general avoidance of the word in the 17th and most of the 18th century.

   Scrabble Points: 15

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2. People also ask

   What does it mean if a room is occupied?

   • If a room or something such as a seat is occupied, someone is using it, so that it is not available for anyone else. The hospital bed is occupied by his wife. If a group of people or an army occupies a place or country, they move into it, using force in order to gain control of it. U.S. forces now occupy a part of the country.

   OCCUPY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/occupy

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   Why is the word occupy a taboo?

   • The verb occupy, common in later Middle and early Modern English, was very infrequently used in the 17th and first two thirds of the 18th century; it has been suggested that this was due to the sense "to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)," which impinged by connotation on the less charged meanings and led to a taboo on any use of the word.

   Occupy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occupy

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   What does occupy mean?

   • to take or hold possession. Usually Occupy. to participate in a protest about a social or political issue. the Occupy movement for social justice. See have. It occupies a singular place in American political discourse. It occupies 140 acres of woodland and open pasture stretching across a hill that rises behind the museum.

   OCCUPY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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   What does it mean if someone occupies a particular place?

   • If someone or something occupies a particular place in a system, process, or plan, they have that place. Many men still occupy more positions of power than women. If something occupies you, or if you occupy yourself, your time, or your mind with it, you are busy doing that thing or thinking about it. Her career occupies all of her time.

   OCCUPY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/occupy

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3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › occupyOccupy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › occupy

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   Jun 2, 2012 · Learn the various meanings and uses of the verb occupy, such as to take up space, time, or attention, or to hold possession or control of something. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related entries.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › english › occupyOCCUPY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › english › occupy

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   (of an army or group of people) to move into and take control or possession of a place: Nationalist forces now occupy more than 70% of the country. occupy verb [T] (FILL) to fill, use, or exist in a place or a time: A large couch occupies most of the space in the living room.

5. Videos

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     Occupy Wall Street: the story behind seven months of protest

     Apr 19, 2012

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     CNN Explains: The Occupy movement

     Nov 17, 2011

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     collinsdictionary.com

     OCCUPY definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

     Dec 24, 2011

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6. www.dictionary.com › browse › occupyOCCUPY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › occupy

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   verb (used with object) , oc·cu·pied, oc·cu·py·ing. to take or fill up (space, time, etc.): I occupied my evenings reading novels. to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of: Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner. Synonyms: busy, use.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishOCCUPY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   Learn the meaning of occupy as a verb in English, with different senses and usage. See how to use occupy in sentences and phrases, and compare it with related words.

8. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › occupyOccupy - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › occupy

   Definitions of occupy. verb. live (in a certain place) “he occupies two rooms on the top floor” synonyms: lodge in, reside. see more. verb. occupy the whole of. synonyms: fill. see more. verb. require (time or space) “This event occupied a very short time” synonyms: take, use up.

9. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definitionoccupy verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage ...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition

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   Learn the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of the verb occupy in American English. See how to use occupy with different objects, prepositions, and verbs in various contexts and sentences.

10. www.collinsdictionary.com › english › occupyOCCUPY definition in American English | Collins English ...

    www.collinsdictionary.com › english › occupy

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    May 25, 2024 · Learn the meaning and usage of the verb occupy in different contexts, such as living in a place, filling up space, or taking control of something. See synonyms, pronunciation, and sentences from Collins English Dictionary.