populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

transitive verb

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

a

: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people

b

: to provide with members

Synonyms

• colonize
• people
• settle

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

At the time, there was a recurring game in the parking lot of a condominium complex populated primarily by people of Southeast Asian descent. —David Gardner, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023

Before that, viewers get to take in an attractive, glamorous where, populated by an extensive, fairly starry who, the suspects. —Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023

Series creator and co-screenwriter Kelly Marcel has taken on a nervy project, creating a densely interwoven world of dark forces populated by humans, fairies, witches, curses and everyday nightmares. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023

These incongruities remind you that the company’s games are just one big Truman Show, a mechanical charade populated by automatons. —Will Bedingfield, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023

Sightings were also recorded in Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming and social media quickly populated with videos and photos. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023

Public housing is populated by the elderly, the poor, and the sick — the populations most marginalized and most at-risk for poor health outcomes due to climate change. —Arya Rao and Shira Hornstein, STAT, 29 Aug. 2023

Set in a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, the film follows Pirati, the matriarch of a community of transgender women. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023

The Garment's latest show, held in a cavernous gallery populated by larger-than-life marble statues at Copenhagen's Thorvaldsens Museum, was the most assured manifestation of Roe's taste yet. —Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin populatus, past participle of populare to people, from Latin populus people

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

: to provide with inhabitants : people