occupant

noun

oc·​cu·​pant ˈä-kyə-pənt How to pronounce occupant (audio)
1
: one who acquires title by occupancy
2
: one who occupies a particular place
especially : resident

Examples of occupant in a Sentence

The apartment's previous occupant was a painter. Both of the car's occupants were injured.
Recent Examples on the Web The search for the second occupant is still underway. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 One of the occupants was assaulted during the robbery and later taken to an area hospital to be treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 The rear seat covers may prevent the proper deployment of the seat air bag, potentially resulting in delayed or improper deployment of airbag during a crash, and increasing the risk of rear seat occupant injury, the company told NHTSA. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Harry Murphy—Sportsfile for Web Summit Qatar/Getty Images The 3 traits Disney’s next CEO must have Speaking on stage with Fortune’s Massimo Marioni at Web Summit Qatar, Mayer outlined three indispensable attributes necessary for the next occupant of one of the world’s most coveted corner offices. Massimo Marioni, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Some customers whose repair records mistakenly reflect fixes never made are at risk from the devices, which can explode without warning and spray shrapnel on vehicle occupants. Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024 Searchers offered no guess as to what happened to the occupants, but noted the vehicle is not believed to have fallen off a transport truck. Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2024 But in several recent police raids, the occupants of these grow houses have turned out to be Chinese nationals, raising questions about about who is recruiting them and financing their operations. Stuart Leavenworth, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, the occupants of the two vehicles that Bruner allegedly struck did not report any injuries, according to police. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, from present participle of occuper "to occupy"

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of occupant was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near occupant

Cite this Entry

“Occupant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occupant. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

occupant

noun
oc·​cu·​pant ˈäk-yə-pənt How to pronounce occupant (audio)
: a person who occupies something

Legal Definition

occupant

noun
oc·​cu·​pant ˈä-kyə-pənt How to pronounce occupant (audio)
1
: one who occupies a particular place
an occupant of the car
the occupant of the apartment
2
: one who acquires title by occupancy

More from Merriam-Webster on occupant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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