occupancy

noun

oc·​cu·​pan·​cy ˈä-kyə-pən(t)-sē 

plural occupancies

1

: the fact or condition of holding, possessing, or residing in or on something

occupancy of the estate

2

: the act or fact of taking or having possession (as of unowned land) to acquire ownership

3

: the fact or condition of being occupied

occupancy by more than 400 persons is unlawful

4

: the use to which a property is put

industrial occupancy

5

: a building or part of a building intended to be occupied (as by a tenant)

Synonyms

• occupation
• habitation
• residency

Examples of occupancy in a Sentence

The sign above the auditorium door says, “Maximum occupancy: 500 persons.”

the landlord notified us of the need to cease occupancy in three months, when our apartment building would be sold

Recent Examples on the Web

That suit, which Lukenbill’s attorneys Brad Carroll and Michael Laino filed July 11, was primarily concerned with stopping efforts by the city to limit occupancy at the bar. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Earlier this year, FilmLA reported that sound stage occupancy is down by 63% while on-location production continues to decline as well. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025

Her ‘public bathroom’ is single occupancy and comes with a security man standing guard outside the door. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025

The policy also stated that individuals who transitioned could not stay at youth camps overnight and were only allowed to use single-occupancy restrooms within church grounds. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

occup(ant) + -ancy

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing occupancy

• double occupancy
• maximum occupancy

Kids Definition

occupancy

noun

oc·​cu·​pan·​cy ˈäk-yə-pən-sē 

plural occupancies

1

: the act or condition of occupying or taking possession

takes occupancy on the first of the month

2

: the state of being occupied

an occupancy limit of 5 persons

Legal Definition

occupancy

noun

oc·​cu·​pan·​cy ˈä-kyə-pən-sē 

plural occupancies

1

: the fact or condition of holding, possessing, or residing in or on something

occupancy of the premises

2

: the act or fact of taking or having possession (as of abandoned property) to acquire ownership

3

: the fact or condition of being occupied

occupancy by more than 400 persons is unlawful

4

: the use to which a property is put

designed for industrial occupancy