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

• 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’s skyline appears, populated with puppets representing Loro Piana artisans, and eventually transforms into the contours of Bergdorf Goodman itself. —David Moin, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025

Autumn Springs is populated by finely wrought individuals, led by the indomitable Rose and her roguish friend Miller. —Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

This is how the Greater Buenos Aires area was populated, a kind of buffer zone between Buenos Aires and the rest of Argentina where migrants from other regions and countries found affordable housing. —Karla Gachet, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025

The movie, which posits an impending nuclear strike on a major American city, is a flimsy yet high-minded piece of doomsday schlock, largely populated by ciphers in suits and drained of the pulp pleasures that schlock, at its best, can afford. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 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