What does "occupy" mean?
Occupy: To hold, or fill, the dimensions of; to take up the room or space of; to cover or fill; as, the camp occupies five acres of ground. Sir J. Herschel.
Additional senses
- 2.To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of; to employ; to busy. An archbishop may have cause to occupy more chaplains than six. Eng. Statute (Hen. VIII. ) They occupied themselves about the Sabbath. 2 Macc. viii.
- 3.4. To do business in; to busy one's self with. [Obs.] All the ships of the sea, with their mariners, were in thee to occupy the merchandise. Ezek. xxvii.
- 4.Not able to occupy their old crafts. Robynson (More's Utopia).
- 5.To use; to expend; to make use of. [Obs.] All the gold that was occupied for the work. Ex. xxxviii.
- 6.They occupy not money themselves. Robynson (More's Utopia).
- 7.To have sexual intercourse with. [Obs.] Nares.
- 8.To hold possession; to be an occupant. "Occupy till I come." Luke xix.
- 9.2. To follow business; to traffic.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00