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

The regulations, which were approved in June, define hyperscale data centers as those that occupy more than 250,000 gross square feet or draw more than 75 megawatts of power from the electric grid. — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2026

Nonna Marisa Carpenetti was born in 1938 in Istria, now part of Croatia but at the time occupied by Italy. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Jade Market, the business occupying the storefront, is a venture meant to continue that goal. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026

LeBron already occupied the throne when Curry came out of nowhere to challenge him for Larry O’Brien trophies. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Aug. 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