occupy

American  

[ok-yuh-pahy] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪ /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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)

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Related Words

See have.

Other Word Forms

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

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.

Example Sentences

She refuses to be drawn when asked if her family occupy mansions in The Gambia, and how they were paid for.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Gonzalez Ittig believes the virus was always capable of such transmission, suggesting that humans may have begun to occupy a space where rodents already carried the disease.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Returning with Sudeikis are Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift, in whatever new roles their characters might now occupy.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Because unless you occupy a very specific income bracket — one I certainly don’t belong to — you’ve probably noticed things feeling tighter lately.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Passengers got off, and Carol and Martin moved to occupy two folding seats located beside the door.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

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