occupation

[ ok-yuh-pey-shuhn ]

/ ˌɒk yəˈpeɪ ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: occupation / occupations on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person's usual or principal work or business, especially as a means of earning a living; vocation: Her occupation was dentistry.

any activity in which a person is engaged.

possession, settlement, or use of land or property.

the act of occupying, possessing, or settling.

the state of being occupied, taken over, or settled.

the state of being busy: His constant occupation with his writing has cut severely into his social life.

the seizure and control of an area by military forces, especially foreign territory.

the term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Danish resistance during the German occupation.

tenure or the holding of an office or official function: during his occupation of the vice presidency.

the act of going into and taking control of a public or private space, as a park or building, especially as an act of protest: The students' week-long occupation of the dean's office brought about a change in the university's curfew policy.

the state or condition of living or working in a given place: The landlord will not allow occupation of any of his apartments by families with children or pets.

OTHER WORDS FOR occupation

1 employment, pursuit, craft, métier.

3 occupancy.

See synonyms for occupation on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of occupation

1250–1300; Middle English occupacioun<Middle French occupation<Latin occupātiōn- (stem of occupātiō), equivalent to occupāt(us) (past participle of occupāre;see occupy) + -iōn--ion

synonym study for occupation

1. Occupation, business, profession, trade refer to the activity to which one regularly devotes oneself, especially one's regular work, or means of getting a living. Occupation is the general word: a pleasant or congenial occupation. Business especially suggests a commercial or mercantile occupation: the printing business. Profession implies an occupation requiring special knowledge and training in some field of science or learning: the profession of teaching. Trade suggests an occupation involving manual training and skill: one of the building trades.

OTHER WORDS FROM occupation

oc·cu·pa·tion·less, adjectiveoc·cu·pa·tive, adjectivenon·oc·cu·pa·tion, nounre·oc·cu·pa·tion, noun

self-oc·cu·pa·tion, noun

Words nearby occupation

occulting light, occultism, occultist, occupancy, occupant, occupation, occupational, occupational disease, occupational hazard, occupational medicine, occupational pension

How to use occupation in a sentence

Throughout the war period, service members had to leave their occupations and families, travel to one of 32 training camps scattered across the country and face the prospect of deploying overseas, perhaps never to return.
The key to combating conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines|Cameron Givens|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Those numbers come from a new report out of California that shines a light on the shocking risk to covid-19 by occupation.
Everyone should be wearing N95 masks now|Joseph G. Allen|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
He subsequently joined the British civil service — later joking that he “thought it would be a nice quiet occupation” — and served in India and Malaysia before he was posted in Canada.
James Cross, British diplomat kidnapped by Quebec separatists, dies at 99 of covid-19|Emily Langer|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
Some states’ vaccine distribution plans are based entirely on age, occupation and other factors such as race or residential setting.
All overweight D.C. residents will get priority for the coronavirus vaccine. Experts are skeptical.|Julie Zauzmer|January 21, 2021|Washington Post

The resulting occupation of the Capitol was horrifying enough, but if MAGA paramilitaries had reached Congress before it was safely evacuated the day could easily have turned out incalculably worse.
The Right’s Message to Silicon Valley: 'Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee'|David French|January 16, 2021|Time
He was born in a barn to penniless parents who were part of a people under occupation.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have endured intifadas and an often cruel military occupation.
Do Palestinians Really Exist?|Dean Obeidallah|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In reality, the Iraqi borders had been arbitrarily drawn and disregarded 2,000 years of tribal, sectarian, and nomadic occupation.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq|Clive Irving|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tatar control—part occupation and part suzerainty over impotent, tribute-paying Russian principalities—lasted more than 200 years.
Russian History Is on Our Side: Putin Will Surely Screw Himself|P. J. O’Rourke|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His writings usually identify an enemy, such as the U.S. government, minorities, or the chimeric Zionist Occupation Government.
Where White Supremacists Breed Online|Caitlin Dickson|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At an early hour next morning the train of wagons got into motion, and the hunters went out to their usual occupation.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
But, fortunately, they had scant time for repining, and there is nothing like active occupation to banish useless brooding.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Everywhere there was a sense of recent occupation, an impression of sadness and gloom.
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Let the wags laugh on; but a far pleasanter occupation is to sleep until breakfast-time, or near it.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches|William Makepeace Thackeray
The proportion of the population engaged in gainful occupation at the present time is significant.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey

British Dictionary definitions for occupation

occupation

/ (ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən) /

noun

a person's regular work or profession; job or principal activity

any activity on which time is spent by a person

the act of occupying or the state of being occupied

the control of a country by a foreign military power

the period of time that a nation, place, or position is occupied

(modifier) for the use of the occupier of a particular propertyoccupation road; occupation bridge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

occupation

OTHER WORDS FOR occupation

Origin of occupation

synonym study for occupation

OTHER WORDS FROM occupation

Words nearby occupation

Words related to occupation

How to use occupation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for occupation