occupancy

American  

[ok-yuh-puhn-see] / ˈɒk yə pən si /

noun

plural

occupancies

1. the act, state, or condition of being or becoming a tenant or of living in or taking up quarters or space in or on something.

   Continued occupancy of the office depends on a rent reduction.

   Synonyms:

   possession, occupation, tenancy

2. the possession or tenancy of a property.

   You can have occupancy on June 1st.

3. the act of taking possession, as of a property.

4. the term during which one is an occupant.

5. the condition of being occupied.

   Occupancy of the auditorium is limited to 1200 people.

6. the use to which property is put.

7. exercise of dominion over property that has no owner so as to become the legal owner.

---

occupancy British  

/ ˈɒkjʊpənsɪ /

noun

1. the act of occupying; possession of a property

2. law the possession and use of property by or without agreement and without any claim to ownership

3. law the act of taking possession of unowned property, esp land, with the intent of thus acquiring ownership

4. the condition or fact of being an occupant, esp a tenant

5. the period of time during which one is an occupant, esp of property

---

Other Word Forms

• unoccupancy noun

Etymology

Origin of occupancy

First recorded in 1590–1600; occup(ant) + -ancy

Example Sentences

Some hotels reported full occupancy for the weekend before Christmas.

From The Wall Street Journal

Santa Rosa and Paradise each had a home ready for occupancy in under eight months compared to slightly over 10 months in Palisades and Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times

Your late cousin’s estranged husband appears to be confusing occupancy with ownership, and exploiting this woman’s death to take possession of this house.

From MarketWatch

Levinson liked that after paying the lodge’s all-inclusive rate—Rainforest Deluxe Tents start at around $2,527 a night for double occupancy—her family didn’t have to make any more should-we-or-shouldn’t-we financial decisions.

From The Wall Street Journal

They will provide a snapshot of how hospitals are coping, including the number of patients on wards with flu, how long ambulances are queuing for outside A&E and bed occupancy rates.

From BBC

Related Words

• ownership