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

Serious Swifties will enjoy the music video, and especially the copious behind-the-scenes footage, for the many familiar faces that populate these scenes. —Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025

The tasting room for Los Milics Vineyards in Elgin is in an area populated with other tasting rooms for Arizona wineries. —Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Our final top 10 is populated with Stanley Cup champions, Hart Trophy winners and Olympians. —Murat Ates, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

While the rest of the film is populated with stars, including not only DiCaprio but Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Benicio del Toro, Infiniti, a newcomer to film, shoulders the brunt of the film’s emotional arc. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Sep. 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