inhabit

verb in·hab·it \ in-ˈha-bət \

Definition of inhabit

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

play \in-ˈha-bə-tə-bəl\ adjective

—

inhabiter

noun

See inhabit defined for English-language learners

See inhabit defined for kids

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 of inhabit from the Web

In that gadgetry lies dozens of ways to make traffic run smoother and to improve how a cityscape works for the people who inhabit it.

— scott canon, kansascity, "A smart city need not be ugly," 7 Aug. 2017
Many of the makers who inhabit the space are Sonoma natives, as is the Barlow’s founder and developer, Barney Aldridge.

— frei brothers sonoma reserve, Bon Appetit, "The Sonoma Difference: Staying True to Its Roots," 2 Aug. 2017
Fischer inhabited her role completely, and the composer wrote long, lyrical arioso for her.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Opera makes history with Missy Mazzoli's 'Song from the Uproar'," 19 July 2017
Most describe the creature, called Normie, as looking like the famed Loch Ness monster that allegedly inhabits Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Yet another clue emerges on origin of fabled monster in Lake Norman," 16 July 2017
The mural itself is meant to represent its place and the people who inhabit it.

— tara massouleh, AL.com, "Meet the people beautifying Birmingham's walls with colorful murals," 10 July 2017
In Crashing, the property guardianship is a hospital, inhabited by six volatile young people with no sense of boundaries whatsoever.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "Pssst: One of Last Year's Most Overlooked Great Comedies Is on Netflix," 7 July 2017
Including but certainly not limited to: the amount of chairs available, the summer camps also inhabiting the space and the temperature outside.

— fresh u, Teen Vogue, "9 Things Anyone With an Outdoor Summer Job Understands," 4 July 2017
Mach inhabits his character with great physicality, giving the illusion of Quasimodo’s deformity by contorting his own body — and with a little help from Bromelmeier’s jacket with hump.

— dana oland, idahostatesman, "Five reasons not to miss ISF’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inhabit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of inhabit

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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INHABIT Defined for English Language Learners

inhabit

verb

Definition of inhabit for English Language Learners

: to live in (a place) : to have a home in (a place)
: to be present in (something)

INHABIT Defined for Kids

inhabit

verb in·hab·it \ in-ˈha-bət \

Definition of inhabit for Students

inhabited; inhabiting

:to live or dwell in

Learn More about inhabit

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inhabit

Definition of inhabit

inhabitable

inhabiter

Examples of inhabit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of inhabit from the Web

Origin and Etymology of inhabit

INHABIT Defined for English Language Learners

inhabit

Definition of inhabit for English Language Learners

INHABIT Defined for Kids

inhabit

Definition of inhabit for Students

Learn More about inhabit

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inhabit

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inhabitable

inhabiter

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