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Meaning of occupy in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈɑkjəˌpaɪ/

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  1. Verb

    occupy

    Etymology

    Middle English: formed irregularly from Old French occuper, from Latin occupare‘seize’. A now obsolete vulgar sense ‘have sexual relations with’ seems to have led to the general avoidance of the word in the 17th and most of the 18th century

    Definitions

    1. be present in

    Examples

    • « be inside of »
  2. 2. keep busy with

    Examples

    • « She busies herself with her butterfly collection »
  3. 3. live (in a certain place)
  4. 4. occupy the whole of

    Examples

    • « The liquid fills the container »
  5. 5. be on the mind of

    Examples

    • « I worry about the second Germanic consonant »
  6. 6. as of time or space

    Examples

    • « It took three hours to get to work this morning »
    • « This event occupied a very short time »
  7. 7. march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation

    Examples

    • « Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 »
  8. 8. engage or engross wholly

    Examples

    • « Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely »

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