as in engaged
involved in often constant activity
the boy is constantly occupied, usually with sports or schoolwork
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interested
to hold the attention of
a puzzle will occupy that child for hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occupied
Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions, or stay near occupied lifeguard towers.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026
He has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, battery and indecent exposure.
—Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Twelve European countries as well as Canada and Japan have condemned Israel’s decision earlier in the month to approve 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank saying the move harmed the prospects for long-term peace and security in the region.
—Lucas Lilieholm, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Israel's government is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler movement; over the weekend, the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
Israel's cabinet approved a proposal for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to a post on X by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also the chairman of the far-right Religious Zionist Party.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 22 Dec. 2025
Israel approved 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, advancing its quest for control of the territory.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Similarly, plans to subordinate the West Bank Border Police to Ben-Gvir’s Ministry of National Security threaten to dismantle the unified command structure that has been instrumental in managing tensions in the occupied West Bank since 1967.
—Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
To qualify for Solar MAP+, properties must include at least five units with at least 60% of the units occupied by residents earning less than 60% of area median income, according to Connecticut Green Bank officials.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
Of the apartment’s 12 units, nine were occupied.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026
The religious settlement was only occupied from 1721 to 1725.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Local community centers often accept art supplies and games to keep children occupied after school.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said 59 Ukrainian drones were neutralized overnight over Russia and occupied Crimea.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Other factors included the uncertainty of the timeline of when the building would be safely occupied.
—Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
Artisanal, electric energy has occupied the grand bones of this intoxicating city, with young creatives animating the unbuttoned cafés and bars filling its old town’s squares—the air always hot and heavy with wafts of arancini and zucchini fritti.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Sharif’s fate in the 1948 segment should not be revealed when discussing Dabis’ film, which then moves forward 30 years, with the adult Salim (Saleh Bakri) married to Hanan in the occupied West Bank.
—Verb
When mega-housing developments sprang up on land formerly occupied by ranches and pine plantations, far from schools, utilities and roads the new residents would need, with taxpayers helping to foot the bill for those connections.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupied
Adjective
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Those late audits have caused ongoing comments by engaged residents who are perplexed that year after year the town’s government is not able to provide the same audit the state’s other 168 municipalities complete and submit to the public and the state’s budget office.—
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Guiliani said her students have been more engaged and focused.—
Verb
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Tommaso di Lampedusa’s novel, which looks at the unification of Italy from the perspective of a 20th-century writer, had a modernity that interested me.—
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Since his death more than two hundred years ago, Christophe’s tragic story has interested a broad array of playwrights, artists, novelists, and filmmakers across the world.—
Adjective
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Visiting the restaurant has become an expression of the purest form of Panthers fandom — and that’s helped make this week quite busy ahead of the Panthers’ first home playoff game in 10 years.—
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Those who remain are concentrated in Venezuela’s cities, including its capital, Caracas, where the street market in the Catia neighborhood once was so busy that shoppers bumped into one another and dodged oncoming traffic.—
Verb
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The couple immersed themselves in his philosophies, maintaining correspondence with the controversial leader.—
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Seattle is a city immersed in nature and shot through with an spirit of conservationism, and 1 Hotel has fully embraced that eco-conscious culture in its design and service.—
Verb
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Cushionaire Belinda Ballet Sneakers with Ribbon Ties I’ve been intrigued by the ballet sneakers trend for quite some time, and my interest was further piqued when Nicole Kidman wore a pair recently.—
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The result of at least 2 years of R&D, prototyping, testing and reworking the idea from Band Industries founders Hassane Slaibi and Bassam Jalgha, the concept intrigued me.—
Adjective
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But such diligent injury prevention doesn’t address the root cause of Rec League Dysmorphia.—
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Iran thus has every right to demand that the IAEA be diligent in observing its own procedures and codes of conduct on impartiality, objectivity, confidentiality, and sensitivity to national security concerns in exchange for continued cooperation.—
Verb
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Daniel also has and continues to be involved in podcasting at the newspaper.—
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Cut the Crap came out in November 1985, and got instantly repudiated by Joe Strummer and anyone else involved with it.—
Verb
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Bass, who as a young man played a year as a tailback for the Utah State Aggies, was fascinated by the program, and its coach, Anthony Barnes.—
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Shakespeare has always fascinated me as a challenge, and Romeo & Juliet is one of the most famous stories in the world.—
Cite this Entry
“Occupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupied. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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