Definition of occupation
1 a
: an activity in which one engages
- Pursuing pleasure has been his major occupation.
b
: the principal business of one's life : vocation
- Teaching was her occupation.
2 a
: the possession, use, or settlement of land : occupancy
- the last of the historic private houses in the metropolis … still in the occupation of its hereditary owner
- —Sidney (Australia) Bull.
b
: the holding of an office or position
- it is only … the occupation … of two offices at the same time that offends public policy
- —W. D. Miller
3 a
: the act or process of taking possession of a place or area : seizure
- Spain's occupation of the island
b
: the holding and control of an area by a foreign military force
- the Roman occupation of Britain
c
: the military force occupying a country or the policies carried out by it
- The occupation addressed the concerns of the local population.
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