occupied

[ok-yuh-pahyd]

adjective

1. lived in.

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up.

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force.

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy.

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held.

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue.

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy.

Other Word Forms

• overoccupied adjective
• self-occupied adjective
• underoccupied adjective
• well-occupied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of occupied¹

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Two Labour MPs who were travelling to the occupied West Bank say they have been denied entry into Israel.

From BBC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has inaugurated a contentious archaeological tourism site led by an Israeli settler group in occupied East Jerusalem.

From BBC

"The very next day Russia would take thousands of civilians hostage in occupied areas, just to swap for its soldiers," the ombudsman points out.

From BBC

That is a difficult ask for a natural central defender, especially with Doku dropping as deep as his own half, and it was made more difficult as Foden also occupied those areas.

From BBC

Also expected to be under discussion between the pair are Israeli military plans to seize Gaza City and Israel's continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

From BBC

Related Words

• engaged 
• peopled www.thesaurus.com
• populated www.thesaurus.com
• settled