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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With hurricane season occupying half of the calendar year –
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Grishman was among a group of roughly 30 to 40 protestors, including local and national chapters of disability rights group ADAPT, Democratic Socialists of America, and the Working Families Party, who had been occupying the space since Thursday.
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Exultant armies and militias now occupy the ground once held by the caliphate.
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The retail center will be developed in two lots, with CVS Pharmacy on a 1.6 acre parcel at the northeast corner, formerly occupied by a BP Amoco gas station and Hutchins Cleaners.
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The store will be on the ground floor of a four-story condominium building, in spaces previously occupied by a Great Clips store and a photography studio.
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Joined by dozens of foreign fighters, the attackers occupied buildings, set free more than 100 inmates before burning a jail, destroyed a cathedral and barricaded streets and three access bridges in 19 of 96 Marawi neighborhoods.
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The phalanx of lobbyists and activists who usually occupy the halls had thinned, but there were still some trying to push their causes.
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A video released by Raytheon shows the test laser occupying one of the four wing pylons on the test Apache where four Hellfire missiles or a pod of 70-millimeter rockets would normally go.
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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