occupy

[ok-yuh-pahy]

verb (used with object)

occupied, occupying 

1. to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).

   I occupied my evenings reading novels.

2. to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of.

   Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.

   Synonyms: busy, use

3. to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in.

   We occupied the same house for 20 years.

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

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

   Synonyms: seize, capture

6. 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)

occupied, occupying 

1. to take or hold possession.

2. Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.

adjective

1. Usually Occupy of or relating to a protest about a social or political issue, as in Occupy movement, Occupy protest, and Occupy candidate:

   the Occupy movement for social justice.

occupy

/ ˈɒkjʊˌpaɪ /

verb

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

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

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

4. to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstration

   students occupied the college buildings

5. to fill or hold (a position or rank)

Other Word Forms

• occupiable adjective
• occupier noun
• misoccupy verb
• reoccupy verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of occupy¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of occupy¹

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

Synonym Study

See have.

Example Sentences

Israel must allow the United Nations’ aid agency to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza, the International Court of Justice said Wednesday, labeling the country as an occupying power.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And secondly, whether Israel's restrictions on aid crossings into Gaza violate international humanitarian law, including its duties as an occupying power to protect civilians.

Read more on BBC

Another theatergoer sadly admitted that he longed to find a tactile hobby, something to keep his hands occupied.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"But the jihadists are deeply embedded in Burkina Faso. Many villages are occupied there. The threat still exists."

Read more on Barron's

The home she and her family had occupied since 2020 on a riverbank collapsed during the flooding, with several relatives swept into the waters.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cover 
• establish 
• fill 
• hold 
• inhabit 
• involve 
• keep 
• maintain 
• own 
• populate 
• remain 
• sit 
• stay