occupy
//ˈɒkjʊpaɪ//
Forms
- present (v1)
- occupy
- past (v2)
- occupied
- past participle (v3)
- occupied
- present participle
- occupying
- 3rd person singular
- occupies
Definitions
1.To take or use.
- The film occupied me for three hours.
- I occupy the post of deputy cat catcher.
- The film occupied three hours of my time.
2.To take or use space.
- The better apartments were already occupied.
- The historic mansion occupied two city blocks.
- Germany occupied France for three years while France struggled to make payments that were a condition of surrender.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2854
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
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”).