Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To fill up (time or space).
- transitive verb To dwell or reside in (an apartment, for example).
- transitive verb To hold or fill (an office or position).
- transitive verb To seize possession of and maintain control over forcibly or by conquest.
- transitive verb To engage or employ the attention or concentration of.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To take possession of and retain or keep; enter upon the possession and use of; hold and use; especially, to take possession of (a place as a place of residence, or in warfare a town or country) and become established in it.
- To take up, as room or space, or attention, interest, etc.; cover or fill; engross: as, to
occupy too much space; to occupy the time with reading; to occupy the attention. - To hold, as an office; fill.
- To take up and follow as a business or employment; be employed about; ply.
- To employ; give occupation to; engage; busy: often used reflexively: as, to
occupy one's self about something. - To use; make use of.
- To possess; enjoy (with an obscene double meaning).
- Synonyms 1-3. Hold, Own, etc. See
possess . - To be in possession or occupation; hold possession; be an occupant; have possession and use.
- To trade; traffic; carry on business.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To hold possession; to be an occupant.
- intransitive verb To follow business; to traffic.
- transitive verb To take or hold possession of; to hold or keep for use; to possess.
- transitive verb To hold, or fill, the dimensions of; to take up the room or space of; to cover or fill.
- transitive verb To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of; to employ; to busy.
- transitive verb obsolete To do business in; to busy one's self with.
- transitive verb obsolete To use; to expend; to make use of.
- transitive verb obsolete To have sexual intercourse with.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
fill (time ). - verb transitive To fill (
space ). - verb transitive To
live orreside in. - verb transitive, military To have, or to have taken, possession or control of (a territory).
- verb transitive To
fill orhold (an official position or role). - verb transitive To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of.
- verb transitive To hold the
attention of. - verb transitive, surveying To place the
theodolite or total station at (a point).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb require (time or space)
- verb consume all of one's attention or time
- verb live (in a certain place)
- verb occupy the whole of
- verb be on the mind of
- verb march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation
- verb keep busy with
- verb assume, as of positions or roles
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The word occupy also connotes presence, however, which is the precursor to love.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
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The word occupy also connotes presence, however, which is the precursor to love.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
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Just the word occupy insinuates to take over without consent.
News - chicagotribune.com Laird 2012
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"You can use the word "occupy" and attach it to anything and go with it."
Turnstyle: Rivalry Breaks Out Among NYC's Live-streaming Protesters Turnstyle 2011
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Right now, during this particular phase in history, we are watching the word "occupy" transform in definition from it's original "to fill up space," to "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Dori Hartley: Occupy: Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore Dori Hartley 2011
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The word "occupy" is a bit like the word "cleave," which, as Alan Watts was fond of pointing out, has two meanings, one of which is the precise opposite of the other.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
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The word "occupy" is a bit like the word "cleave," which, as Alan Watts was fond of pointing out, has two meanings, one of which is the precise opposite of the other.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
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Type the word "occupy" into the search field on WePay's Donations page and you'll get 360 campaigns to choose from.
Turnstyle: Rivalry Breaks Out Among NYC's Live-streaming Protesters Turnstyle 2011
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Like the word "cleave," there are two meanings involved in the word "occupy," one of which is the exact opposite of the other.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
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Like the word "cleave," there are two meanings involved in the word "occupy," one of which is the exact opposite of the other.
Eric Simpson: The Polarities Of An Occupying Ethos Eric Simpson 2011
ruzuzu commented on the word occupy
"To possess; enjoy (with an obscene double meaning)." -CD&C
But, also: "v. To place the theodolite or total station at (a point)." -Wiktionary
May 12, 2012