Showing results for "occupied"

• past participle of occupy.
• past tense form of occupy.

occupied

American  

[ok-yuh-pahyd] / ˈɒk jəˌpaɪd /

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

Etymology

Origin of occupied

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's occupied is being used or is unavailable. If the sign on the restroom door says occupied, it means there's someone in there and you're just going to have to wait. If every seat on the subway is occupied, you'll have to stand, and if the apartment you were hoping to rent is occupied, you'll have to start your search all over again. When you're busy with work, you're occupied — you're engaged, or distracted by it. And when a country is occupied, it's been invaded and taken over by a foreign power — this last meaning was first used during World War II, referring to German-occupied France.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

occupied

Despite AI stocks taking the role that cryptocurrency has occupied in recent years—a high-risk source for exponential growth— cryptocurrency hasn’t been forgotten.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

At that time, the region occupied a strategically important position.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

In a slowly emptying village in northern Kazakhstan, wild grass engulfed the entrances of abandoned apartment blocks, as children's songs spilled into the street from the only building still occupied.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Witkoff sat in a row of hard wooden benches often occupied by people aiming to make public displays of support for Trump—J.D.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Lady Constance was now fully occupied with her squealing, and Penelope uttered a silent prayer of thanks as she finally made her escape, although she had to leave her pile of books behind.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled