inhabit

1 of 2

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

inhabiter

2 of 2

noun

in·​hab·​it·​er

ə̇nˈhabə̇tə(r), 

-ə̇tə-

plural -s

archaic

: one that inhabits

Examples of inhabit in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Its forests include beech, pine, fir and Bosnian pine, while wild goats inhabit the mountain's rugged alpine areas. — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

But on her path, Jean causes bodily and emotional harm to both Peter and numerous innocent bystanders by inhabiting their bodies and forcing them to do her bidding. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Many of the best places to view totality are not inhabited, like northern Greenland. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

During most of the year, merlins inhabit open country ranging from marshlands to deserts, but many breed in conifer and birch woods. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English enhabiter, inhabiter, from enhabiten, inhabiten to inhabit + -er

First Known Use

Verb

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