Showing Results for "occupied"

See Also:

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

occupied

American  

[ok-yuh-pahyd] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

The report found 21 other royal post-holders, including 17 military knights, have accommodation without charge in the occupied palaces.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

A measure in San Diego to tax second homes that aren’t occupied at $8,000 a year, soon rising to $10,000 a year, was well short of a majority.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Researchers hope future excavations will reveal more about how the cave was used and when people occupied it.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

But enforcement of these laws has long occupied an unusual no-man’s-land in this country, scrambling the standard political lines around criminal justice.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

Mama would try to keep me occupied reading books, helping around the house, learning how to sew and cook, and practicing the piano—typical girls’ activities back then.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled