occupy
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
occupies;
occupied;
occupying
occupies;
occupied;
occupying
Britannica Dictionary definition of OCCUPY
[+ object]
1
somewhat formal
:
to live in (a house, apartment, etc.)
-
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.
2
a
:
to fill or be in (a place or space)
— sometimes used figuratively
-
Someone was occupying [=sitting in] my place at the table.
-
This region was once almost completely occupied by forests.
-
Their house occupies a beautiful spot next to the ocean.
-
That family trip occupies [=has] a special place in my memory.
b
:
to fill or use (an amount of time)
-
Studying occupies nearly all of my time on the weekends. [=I spend nearly all of my time studying]
-
Much of our time is occupied by answering questions from our customers.
3
:
to make (someone, someone's mind, etc.) busy
-
During the long train ride, they occupied [=busied] themselves with card games.
-
These questions have continued to occupy her mind.
-
Reading occupied me for most of the summer. = I occupied myself with reading for most of the summer.
4
:
to take and keep control of (a town, foreign country, etc.) by using military power
-
Enemy troops occupied the town.
-
The army is occupying half of the country.
5
somewhat formal
:
to have (a job or position)
-
She now occupies the highest position in the country's government.
-
occupying a position of power
