occupy

[ ok-yuh-pahy ]

/ ˈɒk yəˌpaɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR occupy ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), oc·cu·pied, oc·cu·py·ing.

to take or fill up (space, time, etc.): I occupied my evenings reading novels.

to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of: Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.

to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in: We occupied the same house for 20 years.

to hold (a position, office, etc.).

to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.

(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about (a social or political issue), as by taking possession or control of buildings or public places that are symbolic of the issue: Let’s Occupy our voting rights! The Occupy Wall Street movement of late 2011 was a protest against economic inequality.

verb (used without object), oc·cu·pied, oc·cu·py·ing.

to take or hold possession.

(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.

adjective

(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to a protest about a social or political issue, as in Occupy movement; Occupy protest; Occupy candidate: the Occupy movement for social justice.

Nearby words

Origin of occupy

1300–50; Middle English occupien < Middle French occuper < Latin occupāre to seize, take hold, take up, make one's own, equivalent to oc- oc- + -cup-, combining form of capere to take, seize + -āre infinitive suffix

SYNONYMS FOR occupy

2 use, busy.

5 capture, seize.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR occupy ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

oc·cu·pi·a·ble, adjectiveoc·cu·pi·er, nounmis·oc·cu·py, verb, mis·oc·cu·pied, mis·oc·cu·py·ing.o·ver·oc·cu·pied, adjective

re·oc·cu·py, verb (used with object), re·oc·cu·pied, re·oc·cu·py·ing.self-oc·cu·pied, adjectiveun·der·oc·cu·pied, adjectivewell-oc·cu·pied, adjective

Synonym study

1, 3–5. See have.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for occupied

Guilt, when dispensed in the circumstances Morris occupied, is the anti-Viagra.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Visitors today can keep watch over the scene in the booth at the end of the bar that Capone and his cronies once occupied.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The company moved into what was called Bertha Island, and soon become synonymous with the land it occupied.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Inside two women screamed in front of a bed that occupied the center of the room.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The area has long been peaceful, missing out on the turmoil common to the Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads|Creede Newton|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The march to Ali-Musjid occupied the greater part of the day.
Our Soldiers|W.H.G. Kingston
That was the sole purpose, although I and the rest of us are getting special instruction to keep us occupied.
Warning from the Stars|Ron Cocking
During this interlude (though it only occupied five seconds) the main combat below reached its climax.
Unexplored Spain|Abel Chapman
In the country through which we travelled between these great rivers, the Comanians dwelt before it was occupied by the Tarters.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. I|Robert Kerr
The three slabs to the right of the winged lions on entering, were occupied by a highly curious representation of a battle.
Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon|Austen H. Layard

British Dictionary definitions for occupied

occupy

/ (ˈɒkjʊˌpaɪ) /

verb -pies, -pying or -pied (tr)

to live or be established in (a house, flat, office, etc)

(often passive) to keep (a person) busy or engrossed; engage the attention of

(often passive) to take up (a certain amount of time or space)

to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstrationstudents occupied the college buildings

to fill or hold (a position or rank)

Word Origin for occupy

C14: from Old French occuper, from Latin occupāre to seize hold of, from ob- (intensive) + capere to take

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

Word Origin and History for occupied (1 of 2)

occupied

adj.

late 15c., past participle adjective from occupy (v.). Of countries overrun by others, from 1940, originally with reference to France.

Word Origin and History for occupied (1 of 2)

occupy

mid-14c., "to take possession of," also "to take up space or time, employ (someone)," irregularly borrowed from Old French occuper "occupy (a person or place), hold, seize" (13c.) or directly from Latin occupare "take over, seize, take into possession, possess, occupy," from ob "over" (see ob-) + intensive form of capere "to grasp, seize" (see capable). The final syllable of the English word is difficult to explain, but it is as old as the record; perhaps from a modification made in Anglo-French. During 16c.-17c. a common euphemism for "have sexual intercourse with" (sense attested from early 15c.), which caused it to fall from polite usage.

"A captaine? Gods light these villaines wil make the word as odious as the word occupy, which was an excellent good worde before it was il sorted." [Doll Tearsheet in "2 Henry IV"]

Related: Occupied; occupying.

occupy

verb (used with object), oc·cu·pied, oc·cu·py·ing.

verb (used without object), oc·cu·pied, oc·cu·py·ing.

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of occupy

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for occupied

British Dictionary definitions for occupied

occupy

verb -pies, -pying or -pied (tr)

Word Origin for occupy

Word Origin and History for occupied (1 of 2)

occupied

Word Origin and History for occupied (1 of 2)

occupy