as in interests
to hold the attention of
a puzzle will occupy that child for hours
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Recent Examples of occupies
Read full review Read full review The crown jewel of the International Commerce Centre (ICC), The Ritz-Carlton occupies the 102nd through 118th floors, directly above Elements Mall.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026
The invasion is now almost 4 years old, and Russia occupies about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including most of Donbas.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
And Israel still occupies five hilltop posts on Lebanese territory following its brief war with Hezbollah in 2024.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Priced north of £30 for accessories, up to the mid-hundreds range for dresses, the label occupies an accessible premium space within the contemporary designer market.
—Amy Francombe, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
Their presence in both habitats suggests the species occupies a range of microenvironments within its canyon home.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
The Constitution does not shift depending on who occupies the White House.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
By Ukrainian estimates, every square kilometer that Russia occupies costs its military more than 100 soldiers, either dead or gravely wounded, while its average monthly casualties add up to as many as 35,000 troops.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Now a junior shortstop at the heart of UCLA’s resurgence, Cholowsky occupies the most unforgiving real estate on the diamond — asked not just to steady the infield, but to restore the Bruins to the top rung of college baseball.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026
The invasion is now almost 4 years old, and Russia occupies about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including most of Donbas.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
And Israel still occupies five hilltop posts on Lebanese territory following its brief war with Hezbollah in 2024.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Priced north of £30 for accessories, up to the mid-hundreds range for dresses, the label occupies an accessible premium space within the contemporary designer market.
—Amy Francombe, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
Their presence in both habitats suggests the species occupies a range of microenvironments within its canyon home.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
The Constitution does not shift depending on who occupies the White House.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
By Ukrainian estimates, every square kilometer that Russia occupies costs its military more than 100 soldiers, either dead or gravely wounded, while its average monthly casualties add up to as many as 35,000 troops.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Now a junior shortstop at the heart of UCLA’s resurgence, Cholowsky occupies the most unforgiving real estate on the diamond — asked not just to steady the infield, but to restore the Bruins to the top rung of college baseball.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupies
Verb
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Ogalla said one project that interests her is the renovation of a former medical facility in Joliet to create a veterans centric campus for the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Dreams — probably interests with a hint of values in Welch’s terms — aren’t enough.—
Sarah Jackson,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 17,600-seat Sphere doubles as a movie theater and concert arena and features a 160,000-square-foot, curved LED screen that immerses viewers in the show.—
Roger Kisby,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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The show fully immerses you in the culture of New York in the ’90s, complete with Calvin Klein ads, tabloid magazines with zany headlines and partying at the Roxy nightclub.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Part of the cleanup involves moving the snow to snow farms in the city and melting it there, Wu said.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
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This simply involves a little accommodation, a friendly attitude and cooperation.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hopefully, there’s a spot that intrigues you.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The menu has a lot of delicious choices, but the one that intrigues my girlfriend is their overnight oat bowl.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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How golfers rely on — and leverage — technology fascinates Skenes, from the numbers culled relative to swing speed and ball flight to how their bodies must be in sync to generate so much club speed.—
Tribune News Service,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
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What fascinates me as a writer is what is sometimes left out of the historical record, what gets tucked away in odd places.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The annual fledging of seabirds on Hawaii’s French Frigate Shoals attracts tiger sharks, whose presence forces out gray reef and Galapagos sharks.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Forum attracts bipartisan group of candidates for governor.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While the former tracks profits and expectations, the latter busies itself with tangible stuff, from jobs and wages to GDP.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, while Miranda busies herself with building a pageant empire, her husband Ray, a pill-popping nurse, has knocked up the 18-year-old granddaughter of one of his hospice patients.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Molinaroli himself engages fully where his input is welcomed and can drive positive change, ensuring reciprocity and purpose.—
Nia Bowers,
Ascend Agency,
20 Feb. 2026
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Outside of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, with support from Imvelo Safari Lodges, engages local communities to reintroduce southern white rhinos to communal lands for the first time in the nation’s history.—
Cody Jackson,
Fortune,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Occupies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupies. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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