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

While rank-and-file writers populated the picket lines and eventually voted through the strike-ending contract, much of the sturm und drang of that work stoppage was also facilitated by the work of internal union staffers in member organizing and legal departments (among others). —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

Highlands Highlands is famously one of North Carolina’s chicest mountain towns—complete with luxury hotels (looking at you, Old Edwards Inn & Spa), unique boutique properties (like Highlander Mountain House and Outpost Inn), and a main street populated with charming galleries and boutiques. —Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2025

After signing into iCloud, text messages began populating, and the mother noticed a text thread with a phone number and no name or photo, documents said. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025

Consider that of the 20 roster spots occupied on game days, only 11 project to be populated by players currently under contract in 2025-26. —Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 8 Apr. 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