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

Butterflies belonging to the Heliconius genus, which inhabit the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, have lifespans that vary wildly. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Nobody can reach you there, except perhaps the ones who already inhabit it and are hybrids of living and dead. —Literary Hub, 19 June 2026

With this growth came the construction of new factories, freeways and high-rise condos, while devastated wetlands once inhabited by cranes were systematically drained and repurposed for human use, never to return. —The Los Angeles Times, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

And the streamer has not yet responded to a question from THR about who exactly, will inhabit the titular role of Simon. —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026

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

Rhymes for inhabit

• cohabit
• jackrabbit
• abbot
• habit
• rabbit
• sabot
• shabbat

Kids Definition

inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈhab-ət 

: to live or dwell in

inhabitable

-ət-ə-bəl 

adjective