occupy
verb (used with object)
to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).
were occupying
-
past progressiveof occupy.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Without warning, some 50 strangers had suddenly arrived in vans and were occupying a vacant building on Ocean Avenue the night before Thanksgiving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
The theory would have limited tribal claims to territories they were occupying or legally disputing on the day the constitution was ratified.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2023
Shortly after Mr. Macron’s government survived a no-confidence vote last week, students pushed into the doors of the University of Bordeaux’s 140-year-old human sciences building and declared they were occupying it.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
The soldier and 17 other colleagues were occupying a ridge on Siachen Glacier, high in the Karakoram range in disputed Kashmir’s Ladakh region, in May 1984 when they were hit by an avalanche, officials said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
Was it simply that four men were occupying one house?
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
