occupy
occupy — verb
1. to be present across a particular area, or to last across a particular stretch o
to be present across a particular area, or to last across a particular stretch of time.
The grand piano occupies one whole corner of Mei-Ling's living room.
occupy + corner/space (physical area)
Reviewing emails occupies the first hour of Marcus's working day.
occupy + period of time
Two tall bookshelves occupy the wall behind the sofa.
A small fish tank occupies the space between the window and the desk.
The opening ceremony occupied nearly forty minutes of the schedule.
- vacate
to leave a space empty
文法句型
occupy + place/area
occupy + period of time
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing or activity, not a person. For people living somewhere, see sense 2; for filling someone's mind or time, see sense 3.
常見錯誤
2. to live, work, or carry out daily activities inside a building, room, or piece o
to live, work, or carry out daily activities inside a building, room, or piece of land.
The Patel family has occupied the house on Cedar Street since 1998.
occupy + house (residential)
A small design studio occupies the top floor of the old bakery building.
occupy + floor (workplace)
The flat above the café is currently occupied by two music students.
Before the renovation, a doctor occupied the front room as a small clinic.
- vacate
to move out of a property
文法句型
occupy + building/room/property
be occupied by + person/group
用法筆記
More formal than 'live in' or 'use'. Common in legal, real estate, and official contexts. Frequently passive when the focus is on the building rather than the resident.
3. to fill someone's time, attention, or thoughts so that they have something to do
to fill someone's time, attention, or thoughts so that they have something to do or something to think about.
Grandma gave the children some old photos to occupy them during the long train ride.
occupy + someone (with an activity)
Carlos occupied himself with crossword puzzles while waiting for the test results.
occupy oneself with + noun
Worries about her sick cat occupied Hana's mind throughout the meeting.
The new puppy keeps the whole family occupied from morning until night.
Sorting old letters occupied my grandfather for most of the rainy afternoon.
- bore
to fail to hold someone's attention
文法句型
occupy + person
occupy oneself + with/by + -ing
be occupied with + noun
用法筆記
Often reflexive ('occupy oneself') or passive ('be/keep occupied'). Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is a person (or their mind), not a place or duration.
常見錯誤
4. (of an army or organised group) to enter a country, town, or building by force a
(of an army or organised group) to enter a country, town, or building by force and stay in control of it.
Roman troops occupied much of southern Britain for nearly four hundred years.
army + occupy + region (historical)
Protesters occupied the university library for three days to demand lower fees.
civilian group + occupy + building (protest)
The rebel forces occupied the radio station shortly after midnight.
Several coastal towns were occupied by enemy soldiers during the war.
- liberate
to free a place from foreign or hostile control
- withdraw from
to remove forces from an occupied area
文法句型
occupy + country/territory/building
用法筆記
Implies entering by force or against the wishes of the people there. Often passive when the focus is on the place rather than the invading group. Distinguish from sense 2, which has no idea of force or conflict.
常見錯誤
5. to hold a particular job, office, or formal role within an organisation.
to hold a particular job, office, or formal role within an organisation.
Dr. Tanaka has occupied the post of chief surgeon since 2015.
occupy + post (professional)
Few women occupied senior management roles at the firm before the 1990s.
occupy + role (with quantifier)
Mayor Chen will occupy the chair of the planning committee for another two years.
The position was occupied by an interim director while the search continued.
- vacate
to leave a post empty, e.g. by retiring or resigning
文法句型
occupy + position/post/role
用法筆記
Formal; common in CVs, official biographies, and news writing. The object is an abstract role (post, position, chair, office), not a physical seat. For physical sitting, use 'sit in' or 'take' a seat.