1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

occupies

verb

present tense third-person singular of occupy
as in interests
to hold the attention of a puzzle will occupy that child for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of occupies But … Kansas City is just four points out of fourth place, too, which San Diego occupies with 42 points. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026 Osservatorio Fondazione Prada, inaugurated in December 2016 and dedicated to artistic curation, occupies the uppermost levels. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026 The Standard, London occupies what was once the Camden Town Hall Annexe, built in 1974—a raw concrete civic structure that embodied Brutalist architecture at its most unapologetic. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026 Without the winds, warm water in the east begins to flow back and eventually occupies much of the equatorial waters down to about 300 meters from the coast of South America to the middle of the Pacific. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 Lebanese residents have not been allowed to return and Israel now occupies almost six percent of Lebanon. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026 Robert Langlands, a Canadian mathematician now in his 80s who occupies Albert Einstein’s former office at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, launched the program that bears his name in 1967. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026 Lewis said the existing station no longer occupies the most useful location for the district, as its boundaries have changed through annexations. — Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2026 Russia already occupies about 81% of Donetsk and almost all of Luhansk. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupies
  1. interests
  2. immerses
  3. involves
  4. intrigues
  5. fascinates
  6. attracts
  7. busies
  8. engages
Verb
  • What interests me more is how much smarter these devices are becoming.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • What interests me in Zumthor’s architecture is not simply beauty or contemplation.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of interests
Verb
  • Instead of a kitschy thatch and beach-bar aesthetic, Latitude 29 immerses visitors in polished antique woods that were specially commissioned by neo-tiki artists Bosko Hrnjak and Danny Gallardo.
    — Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Pechman often immerses us in two contradictory perspectives at the same time.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of immerses
Verb
  • Top grading involves removing a leader who has grown complacent and is no longer the right match for the job and replacing them with someone who is better equipped for the new challenges in the role.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, with a landscape of rugged beaches and peat bogs, and traveling through it usually involves many small logistics.
    — Hayley Domin, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of involves
Verb
  • The novel that will form the basis of Reacher’s now-in-production fifth season, 2015’s Make Me, finds Reacher visiting a midwestern hamlet called Mother’s Rest because the town’s name intrigues him.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As McQueen is about to call the police something in her raw honesty, her boldness, intrigues him.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigues
Verb
  • What fascinates me most isn't simply whether Wagner can squeeze 621 miles out of this massive battery.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Gauna has filmed hundreds, maybe thousands of great white sharks across Southern California, and still their every movement, every action, fascinates him.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascinates
Verb
  • The museum’s chief curator, Elisabeth Sherman, said Macken’s work is the rare work that attracts both museum lovers and everyday people.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Tujo said downtown business owners are very close and desire to create a different ambience that attracts customers from Lockport and beyond.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of attracts
Verb
  • Ruston anticipates Loco Coyote to be open Wednesday through Sundays, so locals can enjoy a few weekdays before the tourist crowd busies the restaurant during the weekends.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
  • Silberman also busies himself as chairman of the welcoming committee.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
Definition of busies
Verb
  • Baton’s valuations lean on inputs like PPP loan data and other public records—not an owner’s actual financials, which the company only incorporates if and when someone claims their listing and engages.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In service to this, Norman Bird Sanctuary inspires, builds and engages a community of stewards who preserve, protect, enjoy and learn from the ecosystems within and beyond our stone walls.
    — Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of engages

Browse Nearby Words

occupiers
occupies
occupy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Occupies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupies. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All