Back to Dictionary
Get Free Checker

occupy

View Synonyms
[ US /ˈɑkjəˌpaɪ/ ]
[ UK /ˈɒkjʊpˌa‍ɪ/ ]
VERB
  1. march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation
    Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939
  2. require (time or space)
    It took three hours to get to work this morning
    This event occupied a very short time
  3. occupy the whole of
    The liquid fills the container
  4. live (in a certain place)
    he occupies two rooms on the top floor
    She resides in Princeton
  5. consume all of one's attention or time
    Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely
  6. be on the mind of
    I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift
  7. keep busy with
    She busies herself with her butterfly collection
  8. assume, as of positions or roles
    She took the job as director of development
    the young prince will soon occupy the throne
    he occupies the position of manager
Top Definitions Examples
Enhance Your English Writing Skills
Fix common errors and boost your confidence in every sentence.
Get started
for free
Linguix pencil

How To Use occupy In A Sentence

  • The soldiers were requisitioning things left and right, not good for an occupying army.
  • Dysfunctional families seem to be occupying the minds of Scotland's visiting choreographers.
  • The case - possibly the ultimate in town versus gown - revolves around a former manse on a quiet street in St Andrews, where students already occupy more than half the town centre accommodation.
  • The birds occupy a range of wetland habitats: lakes, rivers, reedbeds, sedge fens, marsh dykes, ponds, flooded gravel pits and meres.
  • Now, from the left, comes a ragtag assortment of college kids, labor unionists, conspiracy theorists and others who've taken to the streets in protests dubbed "Occupy Wall Street.
  • It was 1991 and he led the way in occupying his school, explaining that he wanted something more than better funding. Times, Sunday Times
  • The two occupying powers cared little for the country's sovereignty and well-being.
  • There is a recognition that we can occupy no space other than our own. Foucault and Derrida - The Other Side Of Reason
  • In natural streams coho salmon and steelhead trout fry tend to occupy pools and riffles, respectively.
  • It shows how football has come to occupy a central place in the networks of global power. Times, Sunday Times
View all