occupation

noun

Simple meaning

Any activity that occupies a person's attention.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ahkyuhpayshuhn

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ɑkjəˈpeɪʃən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

Any activity that occupies a person's attention
“He missed the bell in his occupation with the computer game.”
An activity or task with which one occupies oneself; usually specifically the productive activity, service, trade, or craft for which one is regularly paid; a job.
The act, process or state of possessing a place.
geopoliticsmilitary
The control of a nation or region by a hostile military or paramilitary force.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

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More ways to use occupation

“Occupation of a building without a certificate of occupancy is illegal.”noun
“During the German occupation of Paris.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

military occupationjapanese occupationbritish occupationamerican occupationsoviet occupationoccupation authorities

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

line
A trench or rampart, or the non-physical demarcation of the extent of the territory occupied by specified forces.
vocation
The particular occupation for which you are trained.
business
A person's occupation, work, or trade.
occupancy
The period of time during which someone rents or otherwise occupies certain land or premises.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

occupiernounPerson or profession
Someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there.
occupyverbDerived verb
Keep busy with.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

occupation licensenounCompound term
A license to pursue a particular occupation.
occupation licencenounCompound term
A license to pursue a particular occupation.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: any activity that occupies a person's attention

line

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.