as in to interest
to hold the attention of
a puzzle will occupy that child for hours
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occupy
Because a sizable portion of the white population sought to pursue their happiness by acquiring land occupied by Native Americans.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
In recent weeks, several videos and images circulating on social media appear to show BASE jumpers leaping from El Capitan, unauthorized campers occupying closed areas and climbers scaling Half Dome’s cables without permits — all in violation of park regulations.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The park was 92% occupied at the time of the sale by 16 tenants, with an average suite size of nearly 30,000 square feet.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Paramount has signed a 10-year lease to occupy a massive amount of studio space in New Jersey, which has recently been home to a highly lucrative and aggressive production tax credit.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
In recent weeks, several videos and images circulating on social media appear to show BASE jumpers leaping from El Capitan, unauthorized campers occupying closed areas and climbers scaling Half Dome’s cables without permits — all in violation of park regulations.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The park was 92% occupied at the time of the sale by 16 tenants, with an average suite size of nearly 30,000 square feet.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Paramount has signed a 10-year lease to occupy a massive amount of studio space in New Jersey, which has recently been home to a highly lucrative and aggressive production tax credit.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupy
Verb
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Because the books cover the story of the Ozarks region from prehistoric times to the 21st century, readers are likely to find a little something about any part of regional history that interests them.—
Becca Martin-Brown,
Arkansas Online,
29 Oct. 2025
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Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone.—
Josh Zajdman,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The follow-up tease showed someone holding a bunch of wires, insinuating that her costume likely has some animatronics involved.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
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Missions on China’s Shenzhou-21 spacecraft involve trios of astronauts on six-month stays in space, with veteran astronauts increasingly replaced by younger faces.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Snug Harbor project is the brainchild of surfer Adam Cleary, a third-generation Newport Beach local who became intrigued by wave pools after Kelly Slater unveiled the Surf Ranch a decade ago.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
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The infamous two-part operation, which killed more than 40 people and injured another 3,400, was condemned by Lebanon, the United Nations and human rights NGOs, but also intrigued the world for its ingenuity.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An art conservator who'd prefer to be immersed in detail work, Sarah is bombing as the host of a dinner party where her entrepreneur husband (Tom Riley) hopes to impress an obnoxious prospective investor (Tom Goodman-Hill) when a literal explosive goes off in her neighborhood.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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The flight offers sweeping panoramic views immersed in shades of red and gold.—
Essence,
Essence,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After that, Cornell busied himself with his solo career and other endeavors before committing suicide in 2017.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Directly after its 1979 revolution, Iran busied itself with internal enemies.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Throughout that time, Frédéric Boucheron was fascinated by the natural world — a passion Poulit‑Duquesne and Choisne continue today, visible in collections featuring feather motifs, fluid forms and other designs.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
23 Oct. 2025
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It’s set in the early 80s, which is a period that fascinates me.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Epstein attributes the hill’s popularity to the fans COTA attracts, drawing a comparison to the fans that pack mountainsides and hilly areas during the Tour de France cycling race each July.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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By the 1970s, Colma's western edge attracted car dealerships and later big box stores, a rail transit station and apartments.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Performing squats on the unstable surface engages your legs and your core muscles.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
31 Oct. 2025
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Hans is engaged to a fellow performer, but Cleopatra has her eyes on Hans’s sizable inheritance.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Occupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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