OCCUPIES Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

occupies

verb

present tense third-person singular of occupy

as in interests

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

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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 occupies The Sun occupies only a small area of the sky, meaning incoming sunlight reaches a solar cell within a narrow angular cone. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026 Those words capture a central tension in the sprawling show, which occupies interconnected galleries at the far end of the museum’s Resnick Pavilion. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 As for the beach, the Marriott section occupies a smaller sliver of sand compared to the other nearby resorts. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 Lawler, who is running for reelection in the 17th Congressional District, which occupies a large area of the northern suburbs, slammed the governor's immigration and cashless bail policies. — Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 The front door opens into a great room which occupies most of the home's 470-sq-ft (43-sq-m) floorspace. — New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026 Sacramento State occupies land that was home to the Nisenan, Patwin, Miwok, Wintu and Maidu tribes of Native Americans. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The hotel occupies floors 30 through 36 of the Kioi Tower, with the lobby perched at the top. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026 Israel also occupies large parts of southern Syria and Israeli officials have said the military plans to stay there indefinitely. — Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupies

Verb

What interests me most about Apple's approach is what happens after the iPhone recognizes something.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
But what interests me most here is the lightning, the actual lightning.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of interests

Verb

Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon is a riverside accommodation that immerses guests in the works of local artists, with 100 waterfront sculptures comprising a large-scale art installation and an on-site gallery.

— Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026
In Nobody Wants This, agnostic podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) begins an unexpected romance with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Brody), which shakes both their families as Joanne immerses herself in Noah’s culture and decides to convert to Judaism.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of immerses

Verb

The novel that will form the basis of Reacher’s now-in-production fifth season, 2015’s Make Me, finds Reacher visiting a midwestern hamlet called Mother’s Rest because the town’s name intrigues him.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
As McQueen is about to call the police something in her raw honesty, her boldness, intrigues him.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of intrigues

Verb

What fascinates me most isn't simply whether Wagner can squeeze 621 miles out of this massive battery.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Gauna has filmed hundreds, maybe thousands of great white sharks across Southern California, and still their every movement, every action, fascinates him.

— Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of fascinates

Verb

By any objective measure, the Pan America is a capable, comfortable, raucous-sounding, brute-faced, mile-killer that attracts only the very finest heathens.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Botswana, which attracts international tourists for its rich wildlife, has a policy to compensate local people for human-wildlife conflict incidents and hundreds of cases are recorded each year.

— Sello Motseta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of attracts

Verb

Ruston anticipates Loco Coyote to be open Wednesday through Sundays, so locals can enjoy a few weekdays before the tourist crowd busies the restaurant during the weekends.

— Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
Silberman also busies himself as chairman of the welcoming committee.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026

Definition of busies

Verb

Ironically, the one spot where Dearborn Park genuinely engages the cityscape is along the west side of State south of Roosevelt where a row of single-family homes follows Chicago’s typical development pattern.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
The combined implication of transitivity and the infinitive verb is that, speaking conceptually, the artist engages a category of encounter that is absolute, while process and contingency govern the actuality of the work as a function of time.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of engages

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occupiers

occupies

occupy

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“Occupies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupies. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of occupies

verb

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