occupy
verb
oc·cu·py
ˈä-kyə-ˌpī 
occupied; occupying
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
Current Biography4
: to reside in as an owner or tenant
occupies an apartment on a two-year lease
Synonyms
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
Some people charged with the offense were accused of the most notorious but nonviolent conduct during the riot, such as occupying the Senate chamber, sitting in the vice president’s chair and targeting government officials.
—Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
After his death, it was occupied by Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
The horizontal spreading and deep roots can occupy enough space that weeds cannot sprout.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Where will Arden Fair mall Uniqlo Uniqlo will occupy a 11,500-square-foot space adjacent to Lululemon in the lower level of the mall, Spradlin said.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Nearly half the shelf space in the store is occupied by the multiple brands under the H-E-B umbrella.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
He’s got a point about boomers in big houses: Research shows that baby boomers with empty nests are occupying roughly one-third of three-bedroom homes in the U.S.—twice as many as millennial families.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Twenty protesters at Pomona College were arrested after storming and occupying the president’s office during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Not only are three teams battling for that place, but underdogs Bologna FC are the ones currently occupying it — and deservedly so.
—Daniele Proch, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
After his death, it was occupied by Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
The horizontal spreading and deep roots can occupy enough space that weeds cannot sprout.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Where will Arden Fair mall Uniqlo Uniqlo will occupy a 11,500-square-foot space adjacent to Lululemon in the lower level of the mall, Spradlin said.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Nearly half the shelf space in the store is occupied by the multiple brands under the H-E-B umbrella.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
He’s got a point about boomers in big houses: Research shows that baby boomers with empty nests are occupying roughly one-third of three-bedroom homes in the U.S.—twice as many as millennial families.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Twenty protesters at Pomona College were arrested after storming and occupying the president’s office during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Not only are three teams battling for that place, but underdogs Bologna FC are the ones currently occupying it — and deservedly so.
—Daniele Proch, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occupy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near occupy
Cite this Entry
“Occupy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occupy. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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