as in to interest
to hold the attention of
a puzzle will occupy that child for hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occupy
An Orthodox priest in Bucha named Andriy welcomed us to his church, which was bombed by Russia and sits on a mass burial site filled with the bodies of innocent civilians slaughtered by the Russians who occupied the city for a month in 2022.
—
Laura Thornton, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025
The theater, which occupies a prominent corner on East Flagler, was long a linchpin of downtown’s life and economy.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
The new plan calls for the construction of five times as many affordable housing units as were originally slated to occupy the garden.
—News Desk, Artforum, 25 June 2025
This population occupies about 15,000 square miles, which amounts to less than 3 percent of the country.
—Ed Stoddard, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Laura Thornton, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025
The theater, which occupies a prominent corner on East Flagler, was long a linchpin of downtown’s life and economy.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
The new plan calls for the construction of five times as many affordable housing units as were originally slated to occupy the garden.
—News Desk, Artforum, 25 June 2025
This population occupies about 15,000 square miles, which amounts to less than 3 percent of the country.
—Ed Stoddard, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupy
Verb
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What interested him most was why his captors had resorted to kidnapping him and his father in the first place.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
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For now, the editorial line of the streamers in France doesn’t interest me.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
12 June 2025
Verb
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That will likely be related to talks involving the Russia-Ukraine war, another major topic at hand, as well as Trump’s tariffs on trading partners.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
24 June 2025
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Originally premiering at Venice in 2023, the film opened in American movie theaters on June 13 as Israel attacked Iran, starting a war — also involving the U.S. — that now appears to have been halted by a fragile truce.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Hall also got into bits and pieces of 19 games with the Nuggets, totaling just 114 minutes, but his G League sample is the part that intrigues.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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What intrigued you about those existential questions at play here?—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
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After birth, a baby is immediately immersed in a sea of words and rhythm, as their caregivers coo over them, chatter and sing lullabies.—
Jenny Gold,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
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But, according to Hoffman, corporate citizenship leaders are immersing themselves in extensive planning for both short-term and long-term challenges as well as identifying opportunities for continued growth and sustained impact in their companies and communities.—
Timothy J. McClimon,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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In the early ’70s, Wilson busied himself with production and writing work on an album by American Spring, a group featuring two former members of the Honeys, his wife Marilyn and her sister Diane.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
11 June 2025
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Elphaba busies herself trying to expose the corruption helmed by the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), while Glinda dons a tiara and becomes the people’s princess of the Emerald City, playing directly into the faux warlock’s agenda.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The writer was fascinated with sharks after spotting them during childhood fishing trips with his father on Nantucket.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
20 June 2025
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That stuff about the Gunn Mummy fascinates me though.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Verb
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These numbers were enough to attract the attention of Chelsea and Newcastle United with both clubs interested in signing Pedro this summer.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Blanch concurs that attracting a majority of voting interests could be difficult.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Rather than engaging defenders with dribbling, Quenda has both threaded and clipped passes in behind from deeper/wider areas for onrushing team-mates to finish.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Mulberry said the structure of the deal is still being determined, and the board is engaging both with Challice and the brand’s substantial minority shareholder Frasers Group.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Occupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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