occupy

occupy — verb

1. to be present across a particular area, or to last across a particular stretch o

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to be present across a particular area, or to last across a particular stretch of time.

Example

The grand piano occupies one whole corner of Mei-Ling's living room.

occupy + corner/space (physical area)

Reviewing emails occupies the first hour of Marcus's working day.

occupy + period of time

Common collocations
  • occupy a space
  • occupy a corner
  • occupy an hour
  • occupy half the page
Synonyms
  • fill

    more general; 'fill' suggests reaching the limit, 'occupy' just means present in

  • take up

    informal equivalent; very common in everyday speech

  • cover

    for areas; emphasises the spread rather than presence

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

occupy + place/area

occupy + period of time

Usage Note

Subject is usually a thing or activity, not a person. For people living somewhere, see sense 2; for filling someone's mind or time, see sense 3.

Common Mistakes

I occupy in the kitchen every morning.
Cooking occupies the kitchen every morning.
'occupy' is transitive; the place or time is the object, not a prepositional phrase.

2. to live, work, or carry out daily activities inside a building, room, or piece o

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to live, work, or carry out daily activities inside a building, room, or piece of land.

Example

The Patel family has occupied the house on Cedar Street since 1998.

occupy + house (residential)

A small design studio occupies the top floor of the old bakery building.

occupy + floor (workplace)

Common collocations
  • occupy a property
  • occupy a building
  • occupy the premises
  • occupy as a tenant
Synonyms
  • inhabit

    stronger and more literary; often used for whole regions or species

  • reside in

    very formal; common in legal documents

  • live in

    everyday equivalent; far more common in conversation

Antonyms
  • vacate

    to move out of a property

Grammar Patterns

occupy + building/room/property

be occupied by + person/group

Usage Note

More formal than 'live in' or 'use'. Common in legal, real estate, and official contexts. Frequently passive when the focus is on the building rather than the resident.

3. to fill someone's time, attention, or thoughts so that they have something to do

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to fill someone's time, attention, or thoughts so that they have something to do or something to think about.

Example

Grandma gave the children some old photos to occupy them during the long train ride.

occupy + someone (with an activity)

Carlos occupied himself with crossword puzzles while waiting for the test results.

occupy oneself with + noun

Common collocations
  • occupy oneself
  • occupy the children
  • occupy someone's mind
  • keep someone occupied
Synonyms
  • keep busy

    everyday phrase; lighter and less formal

  • absorb

    stronger; suggests deep mental focus

  • engage

    more positive; emphasises interest, not just activity

Antonyms
  • bore

    to fail to hold someone's attention

Grammar Patterns

occupy + person

occupy oneself + with/by + -ing

be occupied with + noun

Usage Note

Often reflexive ('occupy oneself') or passive ('be/keep occupied'). Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is a person (or their mind), not a place or duration.

Common Mistakes

I am occupied to read books.
I am occupied with reading books.
use 'with + -ing/noun', not 'to + infinitive'.

4. (of an army or organised group) to enter a country, town, or building by force a

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

(of an army or organised group) to enter a country, town, or building by force and stay in control of it.

Example

Roman troops occupied much of southern Britain for nearly four hundred years.

army + occupy + region (historical)

Protesters occupied the university library for three days to demand lower fees.

civilian group + occupy + building (protest)

Common collocations
  • occupy a country
  • occupy a city
  • occupy enemy territory
  • occupy a building
Synonyms
  • seize

    sudden and forceful; often a single violent act

  • capture

    stresses the moment of taking, not the staying

  • take over

    broader; covers companies and roles too, not only military action

Antonyms
  • liberate

    to free a place from foreign or hostile control

  • withdraw from

    to remove forces from an occupied area

Grammar Patterns

occupy + country/territory/building

Usage Note

Implies entering by force or against the wishes of the people there. Often passive when the focus is on the place rather than the invading group. Distinguish from sense 2, which has no idea of force or conflict.

Common Mistakes

The students occupied to the office building.
The students occupied the office building.
no preposition; the place is a direct object.

5. to hold a particular job, office, or formal role within an organisation.

5.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to hold a particular job, office, or formal role within an organisation.

Example

Dr. Tanaka has occupied the post of chief surgeon since 2015.

occupy + post (professional)

Few women occupied senior management roles at the firm before the 1990s.

occupy + role (with quantifier)

Common collocations
  • occupy a position
  • occupy a post
  • occupy a role
  • occupy the chair
Synonyms
  • hold

    very common; 'hold a position' is the everyday equivalent

  • fill

    emphasises that an empty post has been taken

  • serve as

    less formal; more about the function performed

Antonyms
  • vacate

    to leave a post empty, e.g. by retiring or resigning

Grammar Patterns

occupy + position/post/role

Usage Note

Formal; common in CVs, official biographies, and news writing. The object is an abstract role (post, position, chair, office), not a physical seat. For physical sitting, use 'sit in' or 'take' a seat.

Common Mistakes

She occupies as the manager.
She occupies the position of manager.' / 'She is the manager.
'occupy' takes the role itself as object, not a 'as + role' phrase.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe something being present in a space or stretch of time, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Occupy' is the most neutral and is comfortable with both space ('occupy a corner') and time ('occupy the morning'); it suggests presence without any sense of crowding. 'Fill' implies that the space or time is used up to its limit — a room that is filled has no spare gap. 'Take up' is the everyday spoken equivalent of 'occupy' and works for both space and time, but feels less formal: 'the sofa takes up half the wall'. 'Inhabit' is restricted to living things in a place where they live — people, animals, or even bacteria — and sounds bookish or scientific. So a piano can occupy or fill a corner, but only people and creatures inhabit one.

occupy ↗fill ↗take up ↗inhabit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • occupy a position
  • occupy a building
  • occupy a country
  • occupy a seat
  • occupy one's mind
  • occupy oneself

Adverbs

  • currently occupy
  • previously occupy
  • fully occupy
  • partly occupy
  • illegally occupy

Phrases

  • keep someone occupied
  • be occupied with something
  • occupy oneself with

Prepositions

  • occupied by
  • occupied with
  • occupied for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Old French 'occuper', which came from Latin 'occupare' — built from 'ob-' ('over, against') and 'capere' ('to seize, take hold of'). The original idea was therefore 'to take hold of, to seize'. From this core meaning of 'taking hold' grew the modern senses of holding a space, holding a job, and holding a place by force.