# occupy

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɒkjʊpaɪ/ · frequency rank #7,950

## Definitions
1. To take or use.
2. To take or use.
3. To take or use.
4. To take or use.
5. To take or use space.
6. To take or use space.
7. To take or use space.
8. To take or use space.
9. To have sexual intercourse with.
10. To do business in; to busy oneself with.
11. To use; to expend; to make use of.

## Etymology
From Middle English occupien, occupyen, borrowed from Old French occuper, from Latin occupāre (“to take possession of, seize, occupy, take up, employ”), from ob (“to, on”) + capiō (“to take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). Doublet of occupate, now obsolete.

## Easily confused with
- **occur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/occupy-vs-occur)
- **occurs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/occupy-vs-occurs)
- **occult** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/occult-vs-occupy)

## Common misspellings (7)
`cocupy`, `occpuy`, `occuppy`, `occupyy`, `occuyp`, `ocucpy`, `ocupy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/occupy