occupy

[ok-yuh-pahy] /ˈɒk yəˌpaɪ/

verb (used with object), occupied, occupying.

to take or fill up (space, time, etc.):

I occupied my evenings reading novels.

to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of:

Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.

to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in:

We occupied the same house for 20 years.

to hold (a position, office, etc.).

to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.

(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about (a social or political issue), as by taking possession or control of buildings or public places that are symbolic of the issue: Let’s Occupy our voting rights!

The Occupy Wall Street movement of late 2011 was a protest against economic inequality.

verb (used without object), occupied, occupying.

to take or hold possession.

(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.

adjective

(usually initial capital letter) of or pertaining to a protest about a social or political issue, as in Occupy movement; Occupy protest; Occupy candidate:

the Occupy movement for social justice.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English occupien < Middle French occuper < Latin occupāre to seize, take hold, take up, make one's own, equivalent to oc- oc- + -cup-, combining form of capere to take, seize + -āre infinitive suffix

Related forms

occupiable, adjective

occupier, noun

misoccupy, verb, misoccupied, misoccupying.

overoccupied, adjective

reoccupy, verb (used with object), reoccupied, reoccupying.

self-occupied, adjective

underoccupied, adjective

well-occupied, adjective

Synonyms

1, 2, 4, 5. See have. 2. use, busy. 5. capture, seize.

Examples from the web for occupy

People who find reasons to occupy their time with activity may be happier.
The story of where modern humans came from has never been cut-and-dried, but two theories occupy the forefront of the debate.
Jurors also appreciated that the buildings have strong visual impact yet occupy a minimal footprint on the land.
Currently spacecraft remains occupy only a small portion of the moon's surface, he said.
Forests frequently interrupted by open areas occupy the lower half of the valley.
Without question, people had a lot fewer diversions to occupy their time.
They now live in a world where humans occupy much of their native habitat.
To occupy his time, he had to veer off the straight and narrow.
World traders occupy gleaming new hotels that modernize the colonial capital.
They occupy each other, play with each other and rest together.

British Dictionary definitions for occupy

occupy

/ˈɒkjʊˌpaɪ/

verb (transitive) -pies, -pying, -pied

to live or be established in (a house, flat, office, etc)

(often passive) to keep (a person) busy or engrossed; engage the attention of

(often passive) to take up (a certain amount of time or space)

to take and hold possession of, esp as a demonstration: students occupied the college buildings

to fill or hold (a position or rank)

Word Origin

C14: from Old French occuper, from Latin occupāre to seize hold of, from ob- (intensive) + capere to take

Word Origin and History for occupy

mid-14c., "to take possession of," also "to take up space or time, employ (someone)," irregularly borrowed from Old French occuper "occupy (a person or place), hold, seize" (13c.) or directly from Latin occupare "take over, seize, take into possession, possess, occupy," from ob "over" (see ob-) + intensive form of capere "to grasp, seize" (see capable). The final syllable of the English word is difficult to explain, but it is as old as the record; perhaps from a modification made in Anglo-French. During 16c.-17c. a common euphemism for "have sexual intercourse with" (sense attested from early 15c.), which caused it to fall from polite usage.

"A captaine? Gods light these villaines wil make the word as odious as the word occupy, which was an excellent good worde before it was il sorted." [Doll Tearsheet in "2 Henry IV"]

Related: Occupied; occupying.