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

The city is largely populated by two of China’s ethnic minorities, the Miao and the Dong. —Dennis Zhou, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025

Butler’s character offers performance and consolation to followers online, representing the dangerous figures that populated the fringes of the internet during the lockdown. —Robert Lang, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025

Innovation District is the state's up-and-coming technology park, populated by companies like Eli Lilly. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 10 Dec. 2025

The story is populated by characters grappling with their own relationships to devotion. —Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

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
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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