Definition of "occupant" []

• One that occupies a position or place: the occupant of the honorary professorial chair; the occupants of a beehive. (noun)
• One who has certain legal rights to or control over the premises occupied; a tenant or owner. (noun)
• Law One that is the first to take possession of something previously unowned. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "President Obama, unlike the former White House occupant, is an adult, capable of honest reflection."
• "This issue was recently addressed by David Viano and colleagues, who work at ProBiomechanics LLC, a Michigan firm specializing in occupant kinematics and injury causation, published last month in Traffic Injury Prevention."
• "With the Winter Issue comes the opening of a new wing, the HENDERSON LABORATORY, in which one occupant is given free reign to experiment with new and unusual ideas throughout the duration of the season."