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

When Aaron Paul’s Jeff attempts to make a suspicious deposit, the bank teller (a game Nina Dobrev) demands to be in on the deal, in the sort of neo-noir twist that could suggest a rich film world populated with bizarre freaks of all stripes. — Elena Lazic, Variety, 26 June 2026

While many 19th-century colleges were generally populated by poor students who were trained as ministers or teachers, early 20th-century colleges prepared students from rich families for professional careers as lawyers, medical doctors and other high-earning professions. — Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 26 June 2026

The 17-mile-long strip of land remains largely in its natural state, populated by dense maritime forest of live oaks, saw palmetto, sabal palms, and pines. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 June 2026

In 2024, the Newsom administration stopped funding DGS’ Telework Compliance Office, which published state telework data that populated the dashboard. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 June 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