as in to interest
to hold the attention of
a puzzle will occupy that child for hours
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occupy
Twice in the past two years, buyout firms have circled Macy’s, attracted not so much to its long-term potential as a business but downright salivating over the real estate its stores occupy.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
In the West End, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and apparel brand Skims is set to open a 12,000-square-foot store next summer at 245-247 Regent Street, previously occupied by Ted Baker.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Marathon firefighters forced their way inside the house and found it was not occupied, the report states.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The Nature analysis suggests the full transition can play out over centuries and that countries occupy different positions on the P‑I‑B sequence at different times.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
In the West End, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and apparel brand Skims is set to open a 12,000-square-foot store next summer at 245-247 Regent Street, previously occupied by Ted Baker.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Marathon firefighters forced their way inside the house and found it was not occupied, the report states.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The Nature analysis suggests the full transition can play out over centuries and that countries occupy different positions on the P‑I‑B sequence at different times.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occupy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupy
Verb
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Programs like these give students the ability to pursue their passions and learn more about careers that interest them, which is 16-year-old Karina Monter's goal.—
Peyton Robinson,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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This promo will also work the same way for any MLB games that interest you tonight.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Los Angeles Angels prospect Rio Foster is in critical condition after being involved in a single-car crash in Richland, Washington, early Friday morning.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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The YouTube cameras caught Kelce giving some tough love to Taylor, which involved a small head-butt and loud words.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At the very least, the prospect of doing more with younger Ed and Lorraine intrigues the performers.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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There’s something about childhood and adolescence — and the wounds that form during those years, which in some way stay with us for life — that really intrigues me.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fifteen years ago, Mexican attorney Alma Barraza immersed herself in a legal fight to win fair compensation for indigent villagers who lost their property when the government seized land to build a dam.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Some viewers will be fully immersed in the horror and despair of the moment, while others may have greater misgivings regarding Ben Hania’s layering of tearjerker tactics over material that hardly requires extra emotional amplification.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Directly after its 1979 revolution, Iran busied itself with internal enemies.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Much like her idol Marlene Dietrich, Novak walked away from the business under her own steam, and has largely kept to herself, marrying an equine veterinarian and busying herself raising horses and painting.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the idea has always fascinated him.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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So that image has always fascinated me.—
Maria Reva
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Skinner believes a club like Manchester United should be attracting players of Rolfo’s calibre.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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This can take up to eight hours but will help remove trace odors that attract the animal back to the same spot to urinate.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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She was previously engaged to commercial public relations executive John Dineen, who died from a rare form of cancer in December 2015.—
Ariana Quihuiz,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Instead of growing a virus and weakening it to allow the body to engage its natural defenses, mRNA vaccines use pieces of genetic code to manufacture a protein, a piece of the virus.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Occupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupy. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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