populate
verb
pop·u·late
ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 
populated; populating
2
a
: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people
… there were survivors, and their descendants populate the world today.—
Walter Alvarez
Walter Alvarez
b
: to provide with members
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
And the north of Australia makes the Sahara look positively populated.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
But kids don’t stay kids forever, and as the students began to age out of competition, in 1990, Howard created a professional performing company called the Trinity Irish Dance Company, populated by former students not only from his school, but also other training programs as well.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Except for the weird assortment of tentacled, befinned, leaflike, rocklike, or altogether bizarre strangers who busily or somnolently populate the stone.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The American Missionary Association, a Congregationalist group, populated many of those first teaching efforts — Blackshear attended one of their schools in Montgomery, Alabama, before college.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
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Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
But kids don’t stay kids forever, and as the students began to age out of competition, in 1990, Howard created a professional performing company called the Trinity Irish Dance Company, populated by former students not only from his school, but also other training programs as well.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Except for the weird assortment of tentacled, befinned, leaflike, rocklike, or altogether bizarre strangers who busily or somnolently populate the stone.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The American Missionary Association, a Congregationalist group, populated many of those first teaching efforts — Blackshear attended one of their schools in Montgomery, Alabama, before college.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
Cite this Entry
“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populate. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
populate
verb
pop·u·late
ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt
populated; populating
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