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

Explanation

When you spend a lot of your free time reading tea leaves, you occupy yourself with that pastime, meaning it takes up your time and keeps you busy. An army can invade another country and occupy its territory, and this use of the word reflects its original Latin meaning, which was "to seize." There are also less aggressive forms of occupation, as with the family of chipmunks who occupy your garden. If you are the mayor of your town, you occupy an important office. And if you're a fan of Andy Warhol, a series of Campbell's soup can paintings may occupy a prominent place on your walls.

Example Sentences

Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said his officers were trained to de-escalate in such moments, such as the Occupy Wall Street protests of the early 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

What they’ve learned, Pozner says, contrasts with a pre-cringe era “when social media was earnest” and people watched Occupy and the Arab Spring unfold on Twitter.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2025

Occupy started on, of all days, a Saturday.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2025

Chan moved to Taipei in 2021, after serving 11 months in jail for inciting public nuisance in his role in Occupy Central.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2024

This time shouts from the Occupy protestors join ours.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

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