occupy

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)

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

occupier

ˈä-kyə-ˌpī(-ə)r 

noun

Synonyms

• absorb
• bemuse
• busy
• catch up
• engage
• engross
• enthrall
• enthral
• enwrap
• fascinate
• grip
• immerse
• interest
• intrigue
• involve

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 on the Web

Visitations occur because those who mourn occupy an unreal space; loss transcends reality or else collapses that once-stable sense of self, space and time. —Jenny Boully, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Since November, activists have occupied the beach in front of Lahaina’s biggest hotels to push the mayor or governor to use their emergency powers to revoke this exemption. —Audrey McAvoy, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024

Some threw red paint to simulate blood; others occupied major thoroughfares to shut down traffic. —Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024

The gray van turned out not to be occupied by an angry driver, but three undercover officers. —Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024

The Ramona substation currently occupies about 10,000 square feet. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024

In occupied Sloviansk four members of the Evangelical Church of the Transformation were accused of being American spies because some U.S. dollars were found in their pockets. —Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024

The workers who occupied the two offices cited the TIME report as the impetus for their most recent protest. —Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 17 Apr. 2024

For spring turkey hunting, this means looking for the first tender greens of the year and the bugs that tend to occupy that early greenery. —Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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