occupied

American  

[ok-yuh-pahyd] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪd /

adjective

1. lived in.

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up.

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force.

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy.

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held.

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue.

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy.

Other Word Forms

• overoccupied adjective
• self-occupied adjective
• underoccupied adjective
• well-occupied adjective

Etymology

Origin of occupied

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Mary Nichols was chair of the California Air Resources Board, where she occupied the attorney seat.

From Los Angeles Times

The talks resulted in a national unity government for the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

From BBC

At the start of the decade, EVs occupied a small but fast-growing corner of the U.S. auto market.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are some exemptions and discounts, for example for someone living alone and homes occupied only by students, which helps lower the cost for some.

From BBC

"Given the intensity of the coercive displacement that we are seeing, how should we prepare, collectively as the international community, for a new addition to the list of occupied territories?"

From BBC

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled