populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

transitive verb

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

Strange creatures populate the deep ocean.

2

a

: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people

… there were survivors, and their descendants populate the world today.

—Walter Alvarez

b

: to provide with members

Synonyms of populate

• inhabit
• people

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

Simulated traffic is populated by AI drivers trained through reinforcement learning to be deliberately difficult, cutting off the test vehicle to probe its weaknesses. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 July 2026

As one collaboration rises to a new peak, Langley claims three of the four biggest songs in the country and joins an exclusive club populated by some of the most successful acts in music history. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

His songs are populated by blue-collar trappers who have to gas up their cars in enemy territory, travel on the Megabus, and create makeshift masks by tying T-shirts around their faces. — Drew Millard, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026

Pop crossovers, polished ballads and the young seeds of bro-country were what populated the radio, but Church loved harder rock influences, outlaw heroes, and even the Muscle Shoals soul. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre "to provide with inhabitants,", derivative of Latin populus people entry 1

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for populate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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