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.

---

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

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

Occupancy at U.S. senior-housing communities fell from 87.4% at the end of 2019 to a pandemic low of 78.2% in the first quarter of 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

Occupancy for the quarter was 107.8%, up from 107.6% a year ago, but down from 112.1% in the third quarter.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Occupancy in office buildings, which used to provide a steady source of lunchtime customers, has dwindled substantially since the COVID-19 lockdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2024

Occupancy is based on a building’s capacity and the amount of use of its space.

From Washington Times • Dec. 6, 2023

Occupancy and use the basis of title to land.

From The Red Conspiracy by Mereto, Joseph J.

Related Words

• ownership