occupy Hear it!

occupy Definition

oc·cupy (äk′yo̵̅o̅ pī′, -yə-)

transitive verb -·pied′, -·py′·ing

  1. to take possession of by settlement or seizure
  2. to hold possession of by tenure; specif.,
    1. to dwell in
    2. to hold (a position or office)
  3. to take up or fill up (space, time, etc.)
  4. to employ, busy, or engage (oneself, one's attention, mind, etc.)

Etymology: ME occupien < OFr occuper < L occupare, to take possession of, possess < ob- (see ob-) + capere, to seize: see have

occupy Related Forms

oc′·cu·pi′er noun

occupy Synonyms

occupy

v.

  1. To take possession

    conquer, take over, invade; see obtain 1, seize 2.

  2. To fill space

    remain, tenant, reside, live in, hold, take up, pervade, keep, own, be in command, extend, control, fill an office, maintain, involve, permeate; see also fill 2, sit 2.

    Antonyms empty*, remove*, move. *

  3. To absorb attention

    engage, employ, engross, attend, monopolize, fill, interest, immerse, arrest, absorb, take up, utilize, involve, employ one's time in, keep busy, busy, be active with, be concerned with; see also fascinate.

occupy Usage Examples

Object

  • position: The Abbey town of Paisley occupies a unique position in Scottish history.
  • premise: Access to premises occupied by English Partnerships will generally be under the supervision of a security contractor.
  • territory: Inevitably, this left the British and French occupying the adjacent territory.
  • niche: Wolves, occupying a similar ecological niche to humans, may give us insight into our own mental life.
  • dwelling: Table 4 shows the average council tax for a dwelling occupied by two adults in each area, for each band.
  • acre: In total the European institutions occupy almost 500 acres of office space in Brussels.

Subject

  • troop: INFORMATION ' Guadalcanal ' : the largest of the Solomon Islands, occupied by Japanese troops during the Second World War.
  • tenant: He discovered that her English property, Jeffs, was occupied by longstanding tenants who paid an almost negligible rent.
  • Roman: Alban lived in the third century, when Britain was occupied by the Romans.
  • diplomat: Armed forces accommodation or properties occupied by a member of a visiting force or occupied by foreign diplomats.
  • army: As a result, Italy had been occupied by the German army.

Preposition: as

dwelling: Human Rights Act Article 8 applies in this case because the building is occupied as a dwelling.

Adjective complement

most: Sphagnum bog with lawns, hollows and mounds is present across the central mire expanse, which occupies most of the site.

Preposition: in

solidarity: News reached Rome and the Dutch Embassy was occupied in solidarity.

Preposition: by

  • troop: INFORMATION ' Guadalcanal ' : the largest of the Solomon Islands, occupied by Japanese troops during the Second World War.
  • tenant: He discovered that her English property, Jeffs, was occupied by longstanding tenants who paid an almost negligible rent.
  • Roman: Alban lived in the third century, when Britain was occupied by the Romans.
  • diplomat: Armed forces accommodation or properties occupied by a member of a visiting force or occupied by foreign diplomats.
  • army: As a result, Italy had been occupied by the German army.
  • widow: They were to be occupied by six poor widows who were members of the Church of England.