What does "occupy" mean?
To take or use.; To fill.
Occupy
/ˈɒkjʊpaɪ/ name, verb
name, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To take or use.; To fill.
- Grammar: occupy is listed as name, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: absorb, engage, fill, take.
- Useful contrasts: empty void, apartment let, freeing.
- Usage evidence: Smokers are asked to occupy the rear seats.
How to use "occupy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "occupy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "occupy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "occupy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "occupy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "occupy" is acting as name, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absorb" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "occupy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To take or use.; To fill. transitive
"The film occupied three hours of my time."
- 2 consume all of one's attention or time wordnet
- 3 To take or use.; To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of. transitive
"The film occupied me for three hours."
- 4 march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation wordnet
- 5 To take or use.; To fill or hold (an official position or role). transitive
"I occupy the post of deputy cat catcher."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 require (time or space) wordnet
- 7 To take or use.; To hold the attention of. transitive
"I occupied her friend while he made his proposal."
- 8 assume, as of positions or roles wordnet
- 9 To take or use space.; To fill space. transitive
"The historic mansion occupied two city blocks."
- 10 keep busy with wordnet
- 11 To take or use space.; To live or reside in. transitive
"The better apartments were already occupied."
- 12 live (in a certain place) wordnet
- 13 To take or use space.; To have, or to have taken, possession or control of (a territory). transitive
"The Japanese can occupy but cannot hold, and what they can hold they cannot hold long, was the opinion of General Pai Chung-hsi, Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese Army, […]"
- 14 occupy the whole of wordnet
- 15 To take or use space.; To place the theodolite or total station at (a point). transitive
- 16 be on the mind of wordnet
- 17 To have sexual intercourse with. obsolete, transitive
"God's light, these villains will make the word as odious as the word 'occupy;' which was an excellent good word before it was ill sorted"
- 18 To do business in; to busy oneself with. obsolete
"All the ships of the sea, with their mariners, were in thee to occupy the merchandise."
- 19 To use; to expend; to make use of. obsolete
"all the gold that was occupied for the work"
Proper Noun
- 1 Synonym of OWS (“"Occupy Wall Street" protest movement”).
Example
"Smokers are asked to occupy the rear seats."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "occupy"?
Common synonyms include: absorb, engage, fill, take, abide, absorb.
How do you use "occupy" in a sentence?
Smokers are asked to occupy the rear seats.
How do you pronounce "occupy"?
Pronounced /ˈɒkjʊpaɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English occupien, occupyen, borrowed from Old French occuper, from Latin occupāre (“to take possession of, seize, occupy, take up, employ”), from ob (“to, on”) + capiō (“to take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). Doublet of occupate, now obsolete.