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

As McVay prepares for his 10th season, his influence and growing coaching tree will once again populate the NFL. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

They are populated by characters who swing between extremes, people on the verge of disappearing one minute and of being too forward the next, either revealing too much or too little. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026

Artists and musicians had flocked to dirt-cheap rents, populating the neighborhood with small clubs and cheap tickets. — Michael Calderone, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2026

The recreation is populated with people, animals, sound effects, and audio explanations. — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 3 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