occupy
verb (used with object)
to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).
had been occupying
-
past perfect progressiveof occupy.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Municipal government speaker Colleen Makhubele implied those inside had been occupying it illegally, and that the city had sought but often failed to evict squatters from such buildings.
From Reuters ● Aug. 31, 2023
A man who had been occupying the block in a portable cabin for more than a week in an apparent act of Russian defiance left soon after.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 25, 2023
Meanwhile, Bennett, Sid Mills and others visited Alcatraz Island in California, which Native activists had been occupying since November 1969.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2022
As the country waited for Rajapaksa’s resignation on Thursday, demonstrators withdrew from three major government buildings they had been occupying.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2022
I therefore waived her question as well as I might, and proceeded to make known to her the thought which had been occupying me.
From The Gates Between by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
