occupy
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take or fill up (space, time, etc.).
I occupied my evenings reading novels.
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to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of.
Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.
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to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in.
We occupied the same house for 20 years.
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to hold (a position, office, etc.).
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to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.
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Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about (a social or political issue), as by taking possession or control of buildings or public places that are symbolic of the issue.
Let’s Occupy our voting rights!
The Occupy Wall Street movement of late 2011 was a protest against economic inequality.
verb (used without object)
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to take or hold possession.
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Usually Occupy to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.
adjective
verb
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to live or be established in (a house, flat, office, etc)
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(often passive) to keep (a person) busy or engrossed; engage the attention of
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(often passive) to take up (a certain amount of time or space)
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to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstration
students occupied the college buildings
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to fill or hold (a position or rank)
Related Words
See have.
Other Word Forms
- misoccupy verb
- occupiable adjective
- occupier noun
- reoccupy verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of occupy
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English occupien, from Middle French occuper, from Latin occupāre “to seize, take hold, take up, make one's own,” equivalent to oc- oc- + -cup-, combining form of capere “to take, seize” + -āre infinitive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1817, with trade flourishing, the New York Stock & Exchange Board was established External link, occupying a rented room at 40 Wall.
From Barron's
In 1817, with trade flourishing, the New York Stock & Exchange Board was established External link, occupying a rented room at 40 Wall.
From Barron's
In the tumultuous first months after the revolution, a group of militant university students loyal to Khomeini occupied the US embassy.
From BBC
When the Allies occupied defeated Germany, they systematically removed the symbols and regalia of Nazi rule, as at the Nazi Party’s rallying grounds at Nuremberg.
From Salon
Nant Gwrtheyrn, the National Welsh Language Centre, which itself occupies what was once a small slate quarrying village, is a short distance down the coast.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
