Standard Lemma guide

occupant

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɒk.jʊ.pənt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, dialectal: /ˈɑ.kjə.pənt/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈɒk.jə.pənt/ of the US
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 K Y AH0 P AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who occupies an office or a position.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I cannot say the same of the current occupant of the position
  • occupant of the Oval Office

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who occupies a place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who occupies a place.

A person sitting in a car or other vehicle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The owner or tenant of a property.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: resident, occupier

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inhabitant, habitant, dweller, denizen, indweller

Narrower terms: Alexandrian, coaster, colonial, dalesman, housemate, inmate, metropolitan, outlier, owner-occupier, sojourner, stater, suburbanite, tenant, townsman, towner

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French occupant (present participle of occuper) or Latin occupāns, occupantis (present participle of occupō). By surface analysis, occupy + -ant.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: işğalçı — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Czech: držitel — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Finnish: haltija — person who occupies an office or a position
  • French: occupant — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Georgian: ოკუპანტი (oḳuṗanṭi) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • German: Besatzer — person who occupies an office or a position
  • German: Besatzerin — person who occupies an office or a position
  • German: Okkupant — person who occupies an office or a position
  • German: Okkupantin — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Persian: صاحب (sâheb) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Russian: оккупа́нт (okkupánt) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Russian: оккупа́нтка (okkupántka) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Spanish: ocupante — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Ukrainian: окупа́нт (okupánt) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Ukrainian: окупа́нтка (okupántka) — person who occupies an office or a position
  • Bulgarian: пътник (pǎtnik) — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Czech: cestující — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Dutch: inzittende — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Finnish: matkustaja — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Finnish: kuljettaja — person sitting in a vehicle
  • French: occupant — person sitting in a vehicle
  • French: passager — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Portuguese: ocupante — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Russian: пассажи́р (passažír) — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Russian: пассажи́рка (passažírka) — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Spanish: ocupante — person sitting in a vehicle
  • Bulgarian: жител (žitel) — owner or tenant
  • Bulgarian: обитател (obitatel) — owner or tenant
  • Czech: uživatel — owner or tenant
  • Czech: obyvatel — owner or tenant
  • Czech: nájemník — owner or tenant
  • Dutch: bewoner — owner or tenant
  • Finnish: asukas — owner or tenant
  • Finnish: haltija — owner or tenant
  • French: habitant — owner or tenant
  • German: Bewohner — owner or tenant
  • German: Bewohnerin — owner or tenant
  • Greek: κάτοχος (kátochos) — owner or tenant
  • Greek: ένοικος (énoikos) — owner or tenant
  • Māori: kainoho — owner or tenant
  • Persian: صاحب (sâheb) — owner or tenant
  • Persian: مالک (mâlek) — owner or tenant
  • Russian: жиле́ц (žiléc) — owner or tenant
  • Russian: квартира́нт (kvartiránt) — owner or tenant
  • Russian: квартира́нтка (kvartirántka) — owner or tenant
  • Spanish: ocupante — owner or tenant