as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants a small island populated only by woodland creatures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of populate Our military, state and federal criminal justice systems are populated with true patriots who believe in the rule of law. Dan Tully, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025 So, the infotainment screen will populate with the Tesla Supercharger locations. Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025 If your web browser automatically populates your username and password for you, make sure this information is free of typos. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025 As ever, the surrounding economic ecosystem for kids trying to make NIL deals will be populated by men like Blazer once was, feasting like hyenas and alligators on the migration of a vast herd of wildebeests. Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for populate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populate
Verb
  • Lima, home to 10 million people, has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
  • The area is still inhabited by the Wampanoag tribe and that is the setting for the scene where Hooper, Brody and Mayor Vaughn have a showdown about warning people about the menacing great white shark.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Sure, your team is still peopled with the same flawed human beings, still maddeningly inconsistent and impossible to predict.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
  • Louis is the kind of polarizing character who people either really loved or loved to hate.
    Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populate. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on populate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!