occupancy

American  

[ok-yuh-puhn-see] / ˈɒk jə pən si /

noun

• occupancies
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unoccupancy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• occupancies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of occupancy

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

Explanation

Occupancy is the act of owning, renting, or taking possession of a building. When you and your family move into a new house, you are taking occupancy of that home. You're probably most familiar with the word occupancy from signs in auditoriums and concert halls that state the room's "maximum occupancy." A maximum occupancy of 100 means only 100 people can safely fit inside that room at one time. A single-occupancy hotel room is meant for one person. The opposite of occupancy is vacancy––when no one is in possession. Hotels let you know when they have a vacancy by flashing a sign.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

occupancy occupancies

Hotel occupancy was down three percent in the quarter to end-June, TUI said, an improvement from the six percent fall seen in the previous six months.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

The city of Newark has been pressing for The GEO Group to permit a fire inspection and obtain a certificate of occupancy for the sprawling private jail.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

In late July, Nguyen and her teenage volunteers dragged wagons of groceries provided by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez’s office to residents living in single-room occupancy hotels, or SROs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"It is to ensure that viable tourism businesses are not penalised by an occupancy requirement that many simply cannot achieve."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

The McArdles’ four deck chairs, cushioned and ready for occupancy, were situated in the middle of the second row from the front.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Net absorption, a measure of new occupancies minus new vacancies, fell to 3.5 million square feet in 2025, down from a pandemic-era high of 4.8 million in 2021, according to Newmark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Middle East hotel occupancies initially rose due to evacuations but are now weak; rising oil prices pose a broader risk to air travel.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

She said much of the available accommodation is in "houses of multiple occupancies with shared amenities", but "this position is reflected nationally".

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2025

Lane, of AirDNA, said that as occupancies dip, hosts will probably have to compete more for guests.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2022

The story has a special historical interest, because it shows how very vague were the boundaries and the occupancies of the little wandering chieftains of this period.

From The Historic Thames by Hilaire Belloc

Related Words

• ownership