occupy */*/*/

UK [ˈɒkjʊpaɪ] / US [ˈɑkjəˌpaɪ] verb [transitive]
Word forms "occupy":
present tense I/you/we/they occupy he/she/it occupies present participle occupying past tense occupied past participle occupied

1)

a) if someone occupies a room, building, area of land, seat, bed, or other place during a period of time, they use it

The Smith family have occupied this farm for over a hundred years.

All the seats on the bus were occupied.

b) if something occupies a space or a period of time, it is present in it or fills it

Warehouses occupied most of the site.

Commercial photography occupied much of his time.

2) to be in control of a place that you have entered in a group using military force

The region was quickly occupied by foreign troops.

an occupying army/force

3) to have a particular job or position in an organization or system, especially an important one

Members of the group occupy positions of power in the country.

4) to keep someone busy at an activity

I need some way to occupy the kids for an hour.

keep someone occupied:

You keep him occupied down here while I check upstairs.

be occupied with something:

He's still fully occupied with writing his report.

occupy yourself (with something):

You need to find something to occupy yourself with when you retire.

5) formal if something occupies your mind, thoughts, or attention, or if it occupies you, you think about it a lot

These thoughts occupied my mind, though I tried to sleep.

The problem has been occupying me all week.

be occupied with something:

My mind's been too occupied with moving house to think about a holiday.