occupation

noun

oc·​cu·​pa·​tion ˌä-kyə-ˈpā-shən 

1

a

: the work in which a person is employed : profession

Her occupation is teaching.

b

: an activity in which one engages

Swimming and hiking were their main occupations at summer camp.

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.

—The Bulletin (Sydney, Australia)

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.

Synonyms of occupation

• profession
• vocation
• employment
• work

Choose the Right Synonym for occupation

work, employment, occupation, calling, pursuit, métier, business mean a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living.

work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.

her work as a hospital volunteer

employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer.

your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training.

his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession.

the ministry seemed my true calling

pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest.

her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted.

acting was my one and only métier

business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs.

the business of managing a hotel

Examples of occupation in a Sentence

He is thinking about changing occupations and becoming a police officer.

“What's your occupation?” “I'm a stay-at-home mom.”

Swimming was their main occupation at summer camp.

Some evidence of human occupation was found in these caves.

The offices are ready for occupation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two years later, Ammon led a six-week occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon that left one rancher dead, shot down by police officers after a backwoods car chase. —Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026

Many Lebanese resent the decades-long occupation of their country by Syrian forces that ended in 2005. —Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026

Skylark by Paula McLain Set across two eras in Paris, Skylark follows Alouette Voland, a young woman unjustly imprisoned in the Salpêtrière asylum in 1664, and Kristof Larson, a medical resident in 1939 risking everything to protect his Jewish neighbors during the Nazi occupation. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026

Tangestuen said the hat emerged sometime around the last large demonstration protesting Nazi occupation in September 1941. —Ava Berger, NPR, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English occupacioun "possession of land, engagement in an activity, vocation, concern," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French occupaciun, borrowed from Latin occupātiōn-, occupātiō "seizing possession, preoccupation," from occupāre "to grasp, take possession of, fill up (space, a position)" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at occupy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for occupation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

occupation

noun

oc·​cu·​pa·​tion ˌäk-yə-ˈpā-shən 

1

: one's business or profession

2

: the taking possession and control of an area

occupation of a conquered country