Definition of occupy
occupied
;occupying
transitive verb
1 : to engage the attention or energies of They occupied themselves with video games.
2a : to take up (a place or extent in space) this chair is occupied the fireplace will occupy this corner of the roomb : to take or fill (an extent in time) the hobby occupies all of my free time
3a : to take or hold possession or control of enemy troops occupied the ridgeb : to fill or perform the functions of (an office or position) will 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
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Examples of occupy in a Sentence
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 of occupy from the Web
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A 70-year-old man, who spent 50 years cultivating an image and personality, isn't going to adjust it, even while occupying the Oval Office.
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Gen. Stephen Townsend acknowledged days later that coalition aircraft bombed the school but said preliminary intelligence indicated the victims were IS militants occupying the building, not refugees.
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For decades, smoking has occupied the top spot on the list of cancer-prevention measures.
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A former colony of Portugal, it was occupied by Indonesia for a quarter century until a U.N.-sponsored independence referendum in 1999 sparked violent reprisals by the Indonesian military that killed many and destroyed its economy.
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S.K.Y. occupies a turn of the century (no, the one before that) building; some of the building's elements are being reclaimed for the 80-seat restaurant.
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Boats Group will occupy the 23rd floor at 1221 Brickell Ave.
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The United Nations has estimated that roughly 200,000 civilians remain in Islamic State occupied neighborhood and that 10,000 have begun leaving a day.
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The single table was occupied by four cigar-puffing men.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'occupy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
OCCUPY Defined for English Language Learners
occupy
playDefinition of occupy for English Language Learners
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: to live in (a house, apartment, etc.)
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: to fill or be in (a place or space)
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: to fill or use (an amount of time)
OCCUPY Defined for Kids
occupy
playDefinition of occupy for Students
occupied
;occupying
1 : to fill up (an extent of time or space) Sports occupy our spare time. A liter of water occupies 1000 cubic centimeters of space.
2 : to take up the attention or energies of Reading occupied me most of the summer.
3 : to live in as an owner or tenant Her sisters occupied the house for three years.
4 : to take or hold possession of Enemy troops occupied the town.
5 : to perform the functions of She occupies a position of authority.
Learn More about occupy
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See words that rhyme with occupy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for occupy Spanish Central: Translation of occupy Nglish: Translation of occupy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of occupy for Arabic speakers
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