occupy
Americanverb (used with object)
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occupies,
present (3rd person singular)
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occupied,
past participle, past
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occupying
present participle
-
to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).
I occupied my evenings reading novels.
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to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of.
Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.
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to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in.
We occupied the same house for 20 years.
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to hold (a position, office, etc.).
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to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.
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Usually Occupy 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)
-
occupies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
occupied,
past participle, past
-
occupying
present participle
-
to take or hold possession.
-
Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.
adjective
verb
-
to live or be established in (a house, flat, office, etc)
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(often passive) to keep (a person) busy or engrossed; engage the attention of
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(often passive) to take up (a certain amount of time or space)
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to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstration
students occupied the college buildings
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to fill or hold (a position or rank)
Synonym Usage
See have.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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occupysimple
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occupiessimple
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have occupiedperfect
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has occupiedperfect
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am occupyingprogressive
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are occupyingprogressive
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is occupyingprogressive
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have been occupyingperfect progressive
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has been occupyingperfect progressive
Past
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occupiedsimple
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had occupiedperfect
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was occupyingprogressive
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were occupyingprogressive
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had been occupyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of occupy
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English occupien, from Middle French occuper, from 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
Explanation
When you spend a lot of your free time reading tea leaves, you occupy yourself with that pastime, meaning it takes up your time and keeps you busy. An army can invade another country and occupy its territory, and this use of the word reflects its original Latin meaning, which was "to seize." There are also less aggressive forms of occupation, as with the family of chipmunks who occupy your garden. If you are the mayor of your town, you occupy an important office. And if you're a fan of Andy Warhol, a series of Campbell's soup can paintings may occupy a prominent place on your walls.
Vocabulary lists containing occupy
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The folks in nearby Nodaway County have been in an uproar over a proposal to build a data center that would occupy 500 acres.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In response, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard, who now occupy facilities as a volunteer-only, long-term force.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Lozano will occupy a designated player spot, becoming the new offensive leader of the team coached by Greg Vanney for the final stretch of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In general, guardians have fewer rights than private renters, external because they hold a "licence to occupy" rather than a tenancy.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
There is no space for it to occupy, no place for it to be.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Although each occupies a distinctly separate universe, Espenson says they all fit the same pattern.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
He also averaged 8.69 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes - the seventh-highest figure among more than 1,500 eligible players - reinforcing the profile of a winger who consistently occupies goalscoring positions.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Varda Space Industries, a microgravity-enabled life sciences company that processes materials in orbit and returns them to Earth, also occupies offices there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Ceuta has been in Spanish hands since 1580 and occupies a peninsula sticking out into the Mediterranean from the coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
So he occupies himself with theoretical stratagems: what would he do if he were in their place, the place of the men with pillowcase heads?
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Experts have cited a flurry of obstacles, including voting for soldiers, for millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The chamber consequently became much more densely occupied.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
More than 60% of occupied housing units in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
For the first time in at least two years, however, technology occupied the second and third positions in his portfolio, based on data from Whale Wisdom.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
The women who know teach the men who don’t, my thirteen are occupied, and Siunek is a surprise prodigy, able to finish a sleeve in just a couple of hours.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, Robert Brovdi, described them as a part of the larger strategy to make the Russian-occupied peninsula uninhabitable for the occupying forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
In late June, the three countries agreed a trilateral framework that should see the Israeli military gradually withdraw from territory it is occupying in southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
An estimated 5,000 plant species grow across Taiwan, occupying environments that extend from humid tropical rainforests near sea level to cold alpine tundra at the highest elevations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Recently in West Hollywood, a pack of coyotes began occupying an abandoned condominium construction site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
After a week of classes, practice, Mom’s endless phone calls to other parents, and paranoia occupying my every stray thought, Friday arrived.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
