OCCUPIED Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

occupied 1 of 2

adjective

as in engaged

involved in often constant activity the boy is constantly occupied, usually with sports or schoolwork

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

occupied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of occupy

as in interested

to hold the attention of a puzzle will occupy that child for hours

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of occupied

Adjective

Jerusalem — Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, one day after a Washington Post journalist was injured in another assault. — Dana Karni, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 The controversy centers in part on Tulchinsky’s reported support for a community center in Efrat, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has surged, with at least 170 attacks since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group. — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 After breaking ties, Petro announced plans to open an embassy in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, but the diplomatic mission never opened. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 In Jenin & the Nakba Between Us, Serene Husni returns to her parents’ hometown in the occupied West Bank, weaving family archive and conversations with residents into a portrait of a place shaped by displacement, occupation, and memory. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 On March 24, 2016, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif and another Palestinian armed with knives attacked an Israeli soldier in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 Blanco faces six charges, including two counts police identified as assault with intent to commit murder, felony assault, breaking and entering into an occupied dwelling of a person 60 or older, and two weapons charges. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 The dispute began last month when the United Kingdom banned trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

About half of Faux’s dining room, on my visits, seemed to be occupied by the young and beautiful, perhaps strategizing, over moules bouillabaisse, when to move the party to the bar downstairs. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 Set at around 4,700 feet where three great Alpine passes converge, Andermatt has occupied an important place on Europe’s map for centuries. — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026 Protesters have broken into schools and, in some cases, set fire to occupied or blockaded buildings. — Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026 The driver's seat was occupied by a mannequin clad in a black-and-white SpaceX spacesuit. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Smaller ships occupied other berths, and one tanker was loading at an offshore mooring, with a UAE naval corvette standing guard nearby. — semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied. — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 The Granada Center high-rise, occupied primarily by Loyola University, now stands on the site. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Truong was born in 1948 and grew up in Vietnam when France occupied the country. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupied

Adjective

If companies want more engaged workers, ADP CEO Maria Black says CEOs and senior leaders should start by asking themselves if employees trust them.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
That’s a striking increase from 2022, when 39% of engaged or married 18-to-34-year-olds reported having one — and only 15% of engaged or married Americans overall did.

— Grace Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of engaged

Adjective

There are no straightforward steps like in the days when a diligent worker could land a job at a good company, work hard to get promoted and hope to climb the corporate ladder.

— Julia Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Edwards said Brown was diligent in going to work and didn’t worry about the weather at all.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of diligent

Verb

But then an acquaintance asked how the London lamppost ended up in the middle of Narnia’s woodland, and Lewis was intrigued enough by the question to start a prequel, The Magician’s Nephew, in order to find an answer.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Of the four-person ensemble, I was most intrigued by Rachna Khatau, the wild card of the group whose roles are the most slyly scheming and unpredictable.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of intrigued

Verb

That means that they will be involved in organizing and financing all of the costs associated with the running of college sports as their minor professional leagues.

— Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026
The data breach involved Educational Testing Service or ETS, which provides extensive services to California.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of involved

Verb

Kember, who grew up in a Catholic household, and Pierce, the son of a proselytizer, were fascinated by spirituality.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
In 2008, passionate surfer Tim Russo purchased the property, renamed it, and set out to organically grow it into a resort full of wonder where serious surfers and travelers fascinated with the surf lifestyle could vacation happily.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of fascinated

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occupations

occupied

occupier

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“Occupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupied. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of occupied

adjective

verb

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