occupy

1 of 2

verb

oc·​cu·​py ˈä-kyə-ˌpī 

occupied; occupying

transitive verb

1

: to engage the attention or energies of

They occupied themselves with video games.

2

a

: to take up (a place or extent in space)

this chair is occupied

the fireplace will occupy this corner of the room

b

: to take or fill (an extent in time)

the hobby occupies all of my free time

3

a

: to take or hold possession or control of

enemy troops occupied the ridge

b

: to fill or perform the functions of (an office or position)

The appointment … to occupy the newly created office of chancellor …

—Current Biography

4

: to reside in as an owner or tenant

occupies an apartment on a two-year lease

occupier

ˈä-kyə-ˌpī(-ə)r 

noun

occupier

2 of 2

noun

oc·​cu·​pi·​er -ī(ə)r 

-īə

plural -s

: one that occupies a place

the region is not burdened with unpalatable space occupiers

—W. S. Hopkins

: such as

a

British : one who holds possession of property as owner or tenant

the hovels which still exist under the name of cottages almost always belong to the occupiers themselves

—G. E. Fussell

the present occupiers of the … mansion do not follow the generous custom of the owners in admitting the public

—Elizabeth Montizambert

b

: a member of a foreign military force occupying a country or part of a country

Synonyms of occupy

Verb

• interest
• involve
• intrigue
• immerse
• busy
• fascinate
• attract
• engage

Examples of occupy in a Sentence

Verb

They have occupied the apartment for three years.

She occupies the house that her grandfather built 50 years ago.

They own another house that they occupy only three months out of the year.

They occupy the room next to ours.

This region was once almost completely occupied by forests.

Their house occupies a beautiful spot next to the ocean.

Much of our time is occupied by answering questions from our customers.

These questions have continued to occupy her mind.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

About Acqualina Resort Conveniently located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Acqualina Resort occupies 5 oceanfront acres in Sunny Isles, a town known for its wide sandy beaches, luxury shopping, and international atmosphere. —Katie Riley, Southern Living, 8 June 2026

Many lead institutions that are more than a century old yet are the first women ever to occupy the top role. —Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 June 2026

Or maybe the Swift-Travis Kelce nuptials will just occupy another space on the Garden’s memorial walls alongside Eddie Giacomin and Willis Reed. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2026

Pantochino Productions, the singularly silly, strange and hysterical small theater company that has worked out of the Milford Arts Council (MAC) for the past 16 years, occupies a unique place in the Connecticut theater landscape. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English occupien "to take possession of, hold, inhabit, take up space in, fill, keep (oneself) busy," borrowed from Anglo-French occuper, occupier, borrowed from Latin occupāre "to grasp, appropriate to oneself, take possession of, fill up (space, a position), forestall," from oc-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -cupāre, intensive derivative of capere "to take, seize, catch" — more at heave entry 1

Note: The source of the -i- in Anglo-French occupier and Middle English occupien, retained in Modern English, is unclear, as continental French has only occuper. The verb occupy, common in later Middle and early Modern English, was very infrequently used in the 17th and first two thirds of the 18th century; it has been suggested that this was due to the sense "to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)," which impinged by connotation on the less charged meanings and led to a taboo on any use of the word. When the socially unacceptable sense fell out of circulation occupy once more became a generally used word.

Noun

Middle English, from occupien to occupy + -er

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for occupy

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

occupy

verb

oc·​cu·​py ˈäk-yə-ˌpī 

occupied; occupying

1

a

: to take up the attention or energies of

reading occupied me most of the summer

b

: to fill up (space or time)

sports occupied most of their spare time

a liter of water occupies 1000 cubic centimeters of space

2

a

: to take or hold possession of

enemy troops occupied the town

b

: to live in as owner or tenant

occupy an apartment

occupier

-ˌpī(-ə)r 

noun