populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

transitive verb

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

Strange creatures populate the deep ocean.

2

a

: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people

… there were survivors, and their descendants populate the world today.

—Walter Alvarez

b

: to provide with members

Synonyms of populate

• inhabit
• people

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

Akhtar has written a book obsessed with interpretation, populated by professors, students, doctors, lawyers, and writers committed by profession to meaning-making. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

The gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that populate human intestines. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

They were suspended from the ceiling, and populated the windows, too. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

But my point was that those demonstrations were organized and largely populated by outsiders. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre "to provide with inhabitants,", derivative of Latin populus people entry 1

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for populate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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