ENGLISH
REFERENCE

occupy

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɑkjəˌpaɪ// UK //ˈɒkjʊpˌaɪ// oc·cu·py Academic Archaic General-service

v. to fill a space, a period of time, or someone's mind. It can also mean to take control of a place by force, like an army entering a city.

v. to fill or inhabit a specific space or time; to take possession of a location by military force. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the space, time, or role being filled.


SIMPLE

The new sofa will occupy most of the living room.

CONTEXTUAL

The army moved in to occupy the border town until a peace treaty could be signed.

COMPLEX

While administrative duties occupy much of her schedule, she still finds time to conduct original research in the laboratory every morning.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.

© 2026 English Reference