occupy

American  

[ok-yuh-pahy] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪ /

verb (used with object)

occupied, occupying

1. to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).

   I occupied my evenings reading novels.

2. to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of.

   Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.

   Synonyms:

   busy, use

3. to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in.

   We occupied the same house for 20 years.

4. to hold (a position, office, etc.).

5. to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.

   Synonyms:

   seize, capture

6. Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about (a social or political issue), as by taking possession or control of buildings or public places that are symbolic of the issue.

   Let’s Occupy our voting rights!

   The Occupy Wall Street movement of late 2011 was a protest against economic inequality.

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verb (used without object)

occupied, occupying

1. to take or hold possession.

2. Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.

adjective

1. Usually Occupy of or relating to a protest about a social or political issue, as in Occupy movement, Occupy protest, and Occupy candidate:

   the Occupy movement for social justice.

occupy British  

/ ˈɒkjʊˌpaɪ /

verb

1. to live or be established in (a house, flat, office, etc)

2. (often passive) to keep (a person) busy or engrossed; engage the attention of

3. (often passive) to take up (a certain amount of time or space)

4. to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstration

   students occupied the college buildings

5. to fill or hold (a position or rank)

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Related Words

See have.

Other Word Forms

• misoccupy verb
• occupiable adjective
• occupier noun
• reoccupy verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of occupy

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English occupien, from Middle French occuper, from Latin occupāre “to seize, take hold, take up, make one's own,” equivalent to oc- oc- + -cup-, combining form of capere “to take, seize” + -āre infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

In the warmer months, almost every corner of 26th Street was occupied.

From BBC

The largest chair was occupied by a man in his fifties with dark brown skin, a scholar’s gown, and a formidable look of power.

From Literature

I follow him to our darkened compartment, which is already occupied by three sleeping soldiers, a stout nun, and an irritable hen.

From Literature

Throughout the book, elements from a talking fish to a possibly reincarnated dog exist alongside the bleak reality of a country so downtrodden and occupied that even its cartography isn’t in its own language.

From Los Angeles Times

EPCs can also include homes that are not yet complete or occupied.

From BBC

Related Words

• cover
• establish
• fill
• hold
• inhabit
• involve
• keep
• maintain
• own
• populate
• remain
• sit
• stay