occupy

verb

oc·​cu·​py ˈä-kyə-ˌpī 

occupied; occupying

transitive verb

1

: to engage the attention or energies of

They occupied themselves with video games.

2

a

: to take up (a place or extent in space)

this chair is occupied

the fireplace will occupy this corner of the room

b

: to take or fill (an extent in time)

the hobby occupies all of my free time

3

a

: to take or hold possession or control of

enemy troops occupied the ridge

b

: to fill or perform the functions of (an office or position)

The appointment … to occupy the newly created office of chancellor …

—Current Biography

4

: to reside in as an owner or tenant

occupies an apartment on a two-year lease

occupier

ˈä-kyə-ˌpī(-ə)r 

noun

Synonyms of occupy

• interest
• involve
• intrigue
• immerse
• busy
• fascinate
• attract
• engage

Examples of occupy in a Sentence

They have occupied the apartment for three years.

She occupies the house that her grandfather built 50 years ago.

They own another house that they occupy only three months out of the year.

They occupy the room next to ours.

This region was once almost completely occupied by forests.

Their house occupies a beautiful spot next to the ocean.

Much of our time is occupied by answering questions from our customers.

These questions have continued to occupy her mind.

Recent Examples on the Web

Shortly after the full-time whistle blew on Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, a weary team trudged over to the corner of the ground occupied by the travelling fans. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026

Local media reports suggest the fallen statue was in the Christian village of Debl, near the Israeli border in an area IDF forces have occupied for several weeks, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. —April 20, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026

Another amendment requires a village review of any tenants looking to occupy more than 50,000 square feet of space in the corporate park. —Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

Grand Hotel Parker’s Naples’ historic grande dame occupies a privileged position on a hill in the elegant Chiaia neighborhood, with sweeping views of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English occupien "to take possession of, hold, inhabit, take up space in, fill, keep (oneself) busy," borrowed from Anglo-French occuper, occupier, borrowed from Latin occupāre "to grasp, appropriate to oneself, take possession of, fill up (space, a position), forestall," from oc-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -cupāre, intensive derivative of capere "to take, seize, catch" — more at heave entry 1

Note: The source of the -i- in Anglo-French occupier and Middle English occupien, retained in Modern English, is unclear, as continental French has only occuper. The verb occupy, common in later Middle and early Modern English, was very infrequently used in the 17th and first two thirds of the 18th century; it has been suggested that this was due to the sense "to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)," which impinged by connotation on the less charged meanings and led to a taboo on any use of the word. When the socially unacceptable sense fell out of circulation occupy once more became a generally used word.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for occupy

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

occupy

verb

oc·​cu·​py ˈäk-yə-ˌpī 

occupied; occupying

1

a

: to take up the attention or energies of

reading occupied me most of the summer

b

: to fill up (space or time)

sports occupied most of their spare time

a liter of water occupies 1000 cubic centimeters of space

2

a

: to take or hold possession of

enemy troops occupied the town

b

: to live in as owner or tenant

occupy an apartment

occupier

-ˌpī(-ə)r 

noun