populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

transitive verb

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

a

: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people

b

: to provide with members

Synonyms

• colonize
• people
• settle

Examples of populate in a Sentence

Immigrants began to populate the area in the late 19th century.

Strange creatures populate the ocean depths.

Recent Examples on the Web

The area was populated mostly by lower-income Mexican Americans who had been barred by discriminatory practices from living elsewhere in the city. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024

Genderqueer and trans characters populate this collection, searching for themselves in the historical record as well as attempting to exist in the present. —Kristen Arnett, TIME, 4 June 2024

Parks usually filled with joggers are thinly populated. —Sameer Yasir Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 3 June 2024

Luckily, the other half of the episode finds the real fun, giving us Nicholas and Howard attempting to canvas a neighborhood populated entirely by men Nicholas has ghosted. —Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin populatus, past participle of populare to people, from Latin populus people

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

: to provide with inhabitants : people