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

occupational safety and health administration, occupational therapy, occupied, occupied territories, occupier, occupy, occur, occur to one, occurrence, occurrent, occy

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 occupy

The opposition responded with a month-long Occupy Abay (like Occupy Wall St) campaign, in which Udaltsov was one of key figures.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That tweet came from Shay Horse, whose bio lists him as an independent photojournalist with ties to Occupy Wall Street.
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops|Jacob Siegel|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Personally, he says, he feels "more than ready" to occupy one the country's leading positions.
Ukraine’s Elections: The Battle of the Billionaires|Anna Nemtsova|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Are you referring to Edward Snowden and the Occupy Movement, respectively?
Julian Casablancas Enters the Void: On the Strokes’ Friction, Why He Left NYC, and Starting Over|Marlow Stern|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Check out this Android app designed by Code4HK for the coordination of Occupy Central!
A Double Agent App Targets Hong Kong’s Protesters|Jacob Siegel|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the interior of their abode, they occupy themselves with feminine tasks, and fervently perform the rites of their religion.
The Smuggler Chief|Gustave Aimard
A man and wife, if the hostess is sure beyond a doubt that they occupy similar quarters when at home.
Etiquette|Emily Post
For this purpose it was necessary to occupy in America some spot which might be a resting place between Scotland and India.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
God should occupy the first place in your heart, and next to Him you should love your parents.
The Nest in the Honeysuckles, and other Stories|Various
Let the voice of the croupier and the card on which you have marked the points, occupy your thoughts.
The Sharper Detected and Exposed|Jean-Eugne Robert-Houdin

British Dictionary definitions for occupy

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 occupy

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 occupy

British Dictionary definitions for occupy

occupy

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

Word Origin for occupy

Word Origin and History for occupy

occupy