to take or fill up (space, time, etc.): I occupied my evenings reading novels.
to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of: Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.
to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in: We occupied the same house for 20 years.
to hold (a position, office, etc.).
to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.
(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about (a social or political issue), as by taking possession or control of buildings or public places that are symbolic of the issue:Let’s Occupy our voting rights!The Occupy Wall Street movement of late 2011 was a protest against economic inequality.
verb (used without object),oc·cu·pied,oc·cu·py·ing.
to take or hold possession.
(usually initial capital letter) to participate in a protest about a social or political issue.
adjective
(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to a protest about a social or political issue, as in Occupy movement; Occupy protest; Occupy candidate:the Occupy movement for social justice.
Origin of occupy
1300–50; Middle English occupien<Middle French occuper<Latin occupāre to seize, take hold, take up, make one's own, equivalent to oc-oc- + -cup-, combining form of capere to take, seize + -āre infinitive suffix
What “Occupy” Used To Mean May Make You BlushThe word "occupy" has an unexpected obsolete definition, which got us thinking about other words that have been used and that we still use as euphemisms.