occupied

American  

[ok-yuh-pahyd] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪd /

adjective

1. lived in.

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up.

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force.

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy.

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held.

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue.

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy.

Other Word Forms

• overoccupied adjective
• self-occupied adjective
• underoccupied adjective
• well-occupied adjective

Etymology

Origin of occupied

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

But in “Masquerade,” six cohorts of 60 audience members need to be spaced out evenly as they take in the show in a 30,000-square-foot, five-floor warehouse once occupied by an art supply company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Mary Nichols was chair of the California Air Resources Board, where she occupied the attorney seat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Many speeches and even tour-guide presentations start with a reminder that the soil on which the speaker and audience stand was once occupied only by indigenous people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Tuesday voiced unease that the war had shifted focus away from the Gaza peace plan and violence in the occupied West Bank.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Food was scarce; in a nation at war, much of it occupied by enemy troops, it was difficult to grow and gather crops.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled