unoccupied

[ uhn-ok-yuh-pahyd ]

adjective

1. without occupants; empty; vacant.
2. not held or controlled by invading forces:

   unoccupied nations.

3. not busy or active; idle; not gainfully employed:

   an unoccupied person.

4. without inhabitants; deserted.

unoccupied

/ ʌnˈɒkjʊˌpaɪd /

adjective

1. (of a building) without occupants
2. unemployed or idle
3. (of an area or country) not overrun by foreign troops

Word History and Origins

Origin of unoccupied¹

1350–1400; Middle English; un- ¹, occupy ( def ), -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Police said two groups were firing at each other when they found a common enemy and trained their gunfire on an unoccupied police cruiser and responding officers, who escaped injury.

From Washington Post

Moïse had been ruling by decree since January 2020, after he refused to organize legislative elections, leaving all but 10 of Haiti’s parliamentary seats unoccupied.

From Time

A large tree fell through the roof and into a bedroom of an unoccupied home in Bowie, officials said.

From Washington Post

So you should keep all your seatbelts buckled anytime a seat is unoccupied.

From Outside Online

It was unoccupied because renovations from the previous fire had just finished, authorities said.

From Washington Post

At the time, the Special Forces were pushing into Afghan villages previously unoccupied by coalition forces.

From The Daily Beast

Fellow drivers can then bid on the newly unoccupied one, promising up to $150 per month in profit for parking spot rentals.

From The Daily Beast

Property worth £350m was unoccupied on The Bishops Avenue, an exclusive street in a north London enclave.

From The Daily Beast

My favorite chair for once unoccupied by child or Lego construction.

From The Daily Beast

Among the rows of unoccupied desks, I could only count about seven people.

From The Daily Beast

Two young lovers were exchanging their hearts' yearnings beneath the children's tent, which they had found unoccupied.

From Project Gutenberg

The unoccupied pallet of Martini lay in one corner of this miserable anti-room.

From Project Gutenberg

So at first we said nothing, but waved with our case knife toward an unoccupied box, as who should say sit down.

From Project Gutenberg

Life had given her a deep surface; the depths below it sent up rare vibrations; and her mind was seldom unoccupied.

From Project Gutenberg

In the side yard was a hammock under the trees which had been unoccupied this year past, but to-night it was occupied again.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deserted
• unfilled
• uninhabited
• unused
• vacant