Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having one's attention or mind or energy engaged: Being busy with or focused on a particular task, activity, or thought.
   • Resided in; having tenants: Referring to a building, room, or property that is being lived in or used by someone.
   • Seized and controlled as by military invasion: Referring to a territory under the control of a foreign military power.
   • Held or filled or in use: Referring to a space, facility, or object that is currently being used and is therefore unavailable.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Attention engaged):
  • She keeps herself fully occupied with volunteer activities.
  • He was so occupied by the book that he didn't hear the doorbell.
• Adjective (Resided in):
  • Not all the occupied apartments were well kept up.
  • Is that house occupied, or is it for sale?
• Adjective (Seized by military force):
  • The occupied countries of Europe suffered greatly during the war.
  • Reports from the occupied zone were censored.
• Adjective (In use):
  • The wc is occupied.
  • All the parking spaces were occupied.

Advanced Usage

• "to be occupied with/in": To be busy doing or thinking about something.
  • Her mind was occupied with plans for the future.
  • The team is occupied in preparing the annual report.
• "self-occupied": Excessively preoccupied with one's own concerns.
  • He became increasingly self-occupied and distant.

Variants and Related Words

• Occupy (verb): To fill or use a space, time, or mind; to reside in; to take control of by force.
  • The project will occupy most of our time this month.
• Occupier (noun): A person or group that resides in a property or controls a territory by force.
  • The occupiers were ordered to leave the building.
• Occupation (noun): A job or profession; the act of occupying or the state of being occupied.
  • Teaching is her occupation. / The military occupation lasted for a decade.

Synonyms

• Engaged: Involved in an activity; busy.
• Busy: Actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime.
• Inhabited: Lived in.
• Tenanted: Occupied by a tenant or tenants.

Related Phrases

• Preoccupied: Absorbed in thought to the exclusion of other things.
  • She had a preoccupied look on her face.
• Fully occupied: Completely busy or engaged.
  • The schedule is fully occupied with meetings.

Idioms

• To have one's hands occupied: To be very busy.
  • With three young children, she certainly has her hands occupied.

Adjective

1. having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
   • she keeps herself fully occupied with volunteer activities
   • deeply engaged in conversation
2. resided in; having tenants
   • not all the occupied (or tenanted) apartments were well kept up
3. seized and controlled as by military invasion
   • the occupied countries of Europe
4. held or filled or in use
   • she keeps her time well occupied
   • the wc is occupied