inhabit

verb in·hab·it \ in-ˈha-bət \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: inhabit in a Sentence

Definition of inhabit

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

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inhabitable

play \in-ˈha-bə-tə-bəl\ adjective

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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

The African nation has been beset by violence between the government, which is led by French speakers, and Anglophones who inhabit English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

— ryan browne, CNN, "US military continues to support Cameroon's military despite US accusations of targeted killings," 1 June 2018
The globe's brightest creatives aren't just inspired by the world around them, but the people who inhabit that world as well.

— faith cummings, Teen Vogue, "Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin Talk Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton Role," 22 May 2018
The Maasai, hundreds of thousands of cattle herders who inhabit the savannah in southern Kenya and parts of neighboring northern Tanzania, need land to graze their animals and maintain their pastoralist lifestyle.

— Washington Post, "Tanzania’s Maasai evicted in favor of tourism, group says," 12 May 2018
Though those beneath the flags now call the United States home, their genealogical roots trace back to those who inhabited this land long before the title US was added to America.

— isaac hale, The Christian Science Monitor, "National program brings American Indian culture to Native students," 11 May 2018
The Maasai, hundreds of thousands of cattle herders who inhabit the savannah in southern Kenya and parts of neighboring northern Tanzania, need land to graze their animals and maintain their pastoralist lifestyle.

— rodney muhumuza, Fox News, "Tanzania's Maasai evicted in favor of tourism, group says," 11 May 2018
The Maasai, hundreds of thousands of cattle herders who inhabit the savannah in southern Kenya and parts of neighboring northern Tanzania, need land to graze their animals and maintain their pastoralist lifestyle.

— rodney muhumuza, chicagotribune.com, "Thousands homeless as Tanzania's government burns houses to keep savannah open for tourism: report," 10 May 2018
The Maasai, hundreds of thousands of cattle herders who inhabit the savannah in southern Kenya and parts of neighboring northern Tanzania, need land to graze their animals and maintain their pastoralist lifestyle.

— Time, "Tanzania Evicted Maasai People and Burned Their Homes for Safari Tourism, Group Says," 10 May 2018
Upon further examination, James discovers a fantasy world of insect friends who inhabit the peach and help guide his life to a new chapter of hope and promise.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "LaPorte Little Theatre picks ‘Peach’ for spring musical run," 26 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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