unoccupied

adjective

un·​oc·​cu·​pied ˌən-ˈä-kyə-ˌpīd How to pronounce unoccupied (audio)
: not occupied: such as
a
: not busy : unemployed
b
: not lived in : empty

Examples of unoccupied in a Sentence

About half of the seats were unoccupied when the concert started. A third of the beds at the hospital were unoccupied.
Recent Examples on the Web Later that morning, police found the vehicle on fire and unoccupied 40 miles away and across the Bay in Oakland, just west of Jack London Square. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Of the post’s 269 homes built before 1919, some 25% sat unoccupied last year because of their condition. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 In New York City, the rental vacancy rate, which is the share of habitable unoccupied units, has dropped to a record low 1.4%. Anna Bahney, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 In Tokyo, entire blocks of seating at the Japan National Stadium remained unoccupied, with just 28,614 tickets sold. Reuters, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024 Only after nine more days, once Hitler had sent troops into the formerly unoccupied zone, and under extreme pressure from the Americans, did Darlan agree that French troops in North Africa should help to defend Tunisia against rapidly arriving German reinforcements. Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023 Roughly 2½ hours later, a different Caltrain collided with an unoccupied vehicle on the tracks at Scott Street in San Bruno, Lieberman said. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 The boat was unoccupied, and there were no reported injuries, said Kristen Livengood, spokeswoman for Monroe County Fire Rescue. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 The vehicle was unoccupied and received minimal damage, police said. The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unoccupied.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unoccupied was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unoccupied

Cite this Entry

“Unoccupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unoccupied. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unoccupied

adjective
un·​oc·​cu·​pied ˌən-ˈäk-yə-ˌpīd How to pronounce unoccupied (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not busy : unemployed
2
: not occupied : empty
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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