inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈha-bət 

inhabited; inhabiting; inhabits

transitive verb

1

: to occupy as a place of settled residence or habitat : live in

inhabit a small house

2

: to be present in or occupy in any manner or form

the human beings who inhabit this tale

—Al Newman

intransitive verb

archaic : to have residence in a place : dwell

inhabitable

in-ˈha-bə-tə-bəl 

adjective

inhabiter noun

Examples of inhabit in a Sentence

Several hundred species of birds inhabit the island.

This part of the country is inhabited by native tribes.

There is a romantic quality that inhabits all her paintings.

The novel is inhabited by a cast of eccentric characters.

Recent Examples on the Web

The study found that Joro spiders will be able to inhabit most of the eastern U.S. Coyle has since clarified that there’s no set timeline on when the spiders could arrive on the east coast. —Chantelle Lee, TIME, 5 June 2024

While some species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, otters continue to inhabit areas of the United States and around the world. —Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024

Archaeologists worked in ventilated suits in case the fungi and bacteria inhabiting the crypts were dangerous, according to the release. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024

Of course, having a human operate in the loop with a robot isn’t as straightforward as in other domains, since having a human and robot inhabit the same space introduces potential safety hazards. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enhabiten, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French inhabiter, enhabiter, from Latin inhabitare, from in- + habitare to dwell, frequentative of habēre to have — more at give

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈhab-ət 

: to live or dwell in

inhabitable

-ət-ə-bəl 

adjective