occupied

[ok-yuh-pahyd]

adjective

1. lived in.

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up.

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force.

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy.

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held.

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue.

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy.

Other Word Forms

• overoccupied adjective
• self-occupied adjective
• underoccupied adjective
• well-occupied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of occupied¹

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He is seen by many as the one man who could unite Palestinians - and the various Palestinian political factions - across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Read more on BBC

In August before the IDF occupied the city, which it called the "last stronghold" of Hamas, many streets appeared largely intact.

Read more on BBC

Since then, it has occupied areas of northern and western Georgia comprising almost one-fifth of the country and installed puppet governments that have prevented the return of ethnic Georgian citizens, according to Tbilisi.

Read more on Barron's

But Warner feels he is better suited at three, a position he occupied until being promoted to opener for June's losing World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's.

Read more on Barron's

“Regional states were the ones to also demand Hamas’s disarmament, simply because they also have an interest in making sure that things are quiet in the occupied territories.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• engaged 
• peopled www.thesaurus.com
• populated www.thesaurus.com
• settled