occupied 1 of 2

adjective

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Osder visited Israel and the occupied West Bank and came to understand his heritage with a new sense of privilege and responsibility. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 Jerusalem — Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and seized a home while its owner was inside in the latest brazen settler attack in the area. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 According to Leonid Pasechnik, who heads the occupied Luhansk region, five others were injured across the province. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Ten years ago, Frank Lowenstein, then the United States special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, presented President Barack Obama with maps of settlements by Israeli Jews in the occupied West Bank. — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 Their displays adapt to occupied seats, giving the nearest rider full control while unused screens show trip status or ambient imagery. — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026 Israel sharply criticized the UK after London voiced opposition to the Jewish state’s support for settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of rows with once strong Western allies. — Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The tense standoff underscores surging settler violence in the occupied West Bank, where attacks have spiked under Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government and Palestinians report dozens killed so far this year. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The family of a Palestinian American man have been under siege in their home in the occupied West Bank. — Frank Langfitt, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
The Israeli military seized a 400 square kilometer buffer zone inside Syria after the 2024 collapse of the Assad regime and has occupied it since. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, occupied a space in our global cultural imagination — a figure of American mythology, someone best described as larger-than-life and then a little bit more. — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 According to experts, river otters once occupied waterways throughout New York State but vanished from many areas because of pollution, habitat loss and unregulated trapping. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted and destroyed 351 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and the Black Seas. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Berg also pointed to another structural issue where action cinema has historically occupied a lower position than horror or science fiction within repertory programming. — José Salazar, IndieWire, 24 Aug. 2026 During the most recent school board meeting, interim superintendent Griff Mills was normally occupied by Wilcox. — Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 After the lifting of pandemic restrictions, an annual carnival occupied Victoria Park on each anniversary. — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 No major injuries were reported, but a short time later the Jeep collided head on with a car occupied by four people. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupied
  1. engaged
  2. interested
  3. busy
  4. immersed
  5. diligent
  6. intrigued
  7. involved
  8. fascinated
Adjective
  • Smythson Bride-To-Be Soho Notebook Wedding season may be coming to a close, but this notebook is a perfect gift to help give engaged couples a place to plan out their nuptials for the coming year.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Families speak not only about how their children are more engaged in school, but happier and more hopeful about their future.
    — Grant Oliphant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of engaged
Verb
  • But what really interested us with this movie was trying to understand the humanity and searching for and exploring the love and the loyalty to characters to have a dialogue with an audience and not do it for the sake of ego or shock.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Camerlenghi says Gradara Castle has interested him since his childhood.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026
Definition of interested
Adjective
  • The system would also allow the city to change rates on weekends or during the busy season.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Frankfurt Airport is considered Germany’s busiest in terms of the volume of passengers.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of busy
Verb
  • Bofill, who is from the eastern Cuban port city of Manzanillo, grew up immersed in music.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In just two weeks, Johnson must have his group immersed in game-week preparation, locking in on a season-opening test at Carolina.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of immersed
Adjective
  • More recently, diligent and passionate biologists, chemists, and experts from other disciplines have used technology for contemporary experiments that reveal a spectrum of plant consciousness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Dark circles happen, acne pops up, and dark spots can even appear despite diligent sunscreen use.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of diligent
Verb
  • Philipps didn't have symptoms of any kind, but the Prenuvo full-body scan had intrigued her.
    — David Oliver, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Brainy and inquisitive, she’s intrigued enough by his demented search to offer to help.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigued
Verb
  • Verify the numbers, name the next step, and let clear facts make the agreement feel safer for everyone involved.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The university asserted that the subpoena would create unnecessary work for the police department, unearth irrelevant documents and waste the time of everyone involved.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of involved
Verb
  • Cronenberg is fascinated by a body that is taken apart and reimagined.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • However, rather than the courageous grand duchesses who fought for the freedom of their people far away, the author was fascinated by the suffragette movement of the 1910s.
    — Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fascinated

Browse Nearby Words

occupations
occupied
occupier
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Cite this Entry

“Occupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupied. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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