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.

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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

In the occupied West Bank's arid region of Masafer Yatta, Emar made a smooth concrete floor on two caves' rough limestone ground before applying a white limewash on the brittle stone walls.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Okinawan opposition to the U.S. presence goes back to World War II, when the U.S. occupied the islands following some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Narrative painting has always occupied museum walls, and thematic displays are increasingly common.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

It says its troops conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

She would come to get them and keep them occupied and buy them little extras that we couldn’t afford now that Jimmie was no longer working.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled