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

The park is home to around 1,000 black bears and grizzlies, with park officials estimating that about 300 grizzly bears were inhabiting the area in 2023. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026

Anglers can cast for dozens of fish species that inhabit the lake, while divers have scores of historic shipwrecks to explore. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026

The animals usually inhabit freshwater areas such as ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, streams and adjacent wetlands. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 7 May 2026

Park officials did not indicate whether the bears were believed to be grizzly or black bears — both of which inhabit the park. —Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 5 May 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