population

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noun pop·u·la·tion \ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən\

Definition of population

1a : the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or regionb : the total of individuals occupying an area or making up a wholec : the total of particles at a particular energy level —used especially of atoms in a laser
2 : the act or process of populating
3a : a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in commonb (1) : the organisms inhabiting a particular locality (2) : a group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins
4 : a group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement

populational

play \-shnəl, -shə-n^əl\ adjective

See population defined for English-language learners

See population defined for kids

Examples of population in a Sentence

The world's population has increased greatly.
The city has experienced an increase in population.
There has been a sharp reduction in the bat population in this region.
the rural population of America

Recent Examples of population from the Web

But the plans immediately went awry in a vast, messy and violent exchange of populations that left at least 1m dead and 15m uprooted from their homes.

— The Economist, "Hissing cousinsWhy India and Pakistan hate each other," 22 July 2017
These counties are mostly rural, with low population density.

— zachary tracer, Bloomberg.com, "The GOP Failed to Replace the ACA. Can Congress Fix What’s Wrong?," 20 July 2017
Today, Demopolis High School's student body is roughly as balanced as the population of the town.

— the washington post, AL.com, "A police car damaged an Alabama Confederate monument and reopened a town's painful wounds," 20 July 2017
While there is still much room for growth to ensure the safety and security of students from all faiths, ethnicities, and gender identities, America's universities are beginning to become as diverse as the population itself.

— lincoln anthony blades, Teen Vogue, "Colleges and Universities are Becoming Less White, and Republicans Like Them Less," 20 July 2017
As the Somali immigrant population in Minneapolis has grown, members of the community have sometimes expressed frustration with law enforcement.

— john eligon and mitch smith, New York Times, "Somalis in Minneapolis Shocked and Saddened by Police Shooting," 19 July 2017
But such early mixing with Denisovans and Neandertals is at odds with genetic evidence from living Aborigines and nearby Melanesians, says population geneticist David Reich of Harvard University.

— ann gibbons, Science | AAAS, "A find in Australia hints at very early human exit from Africa," 19 July 2017
While the population of Washington, D.C., is around 50 percent black, these residents represent just 2 percent of the city’s bike-share users.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Pressure's On," 18 July 2017
The health and safety index considered factors such as depression diagnoses, suicide rate and insured population.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Overland Park among least-stressed cities in the country, analysis finds," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'population.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of population

Late Latin population-, populatio, from Latin populus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1612

See Words from the same year

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

POPULATION Defined for English Language Learners

population

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noun

Definition of population for English Language Learners

: the number of people who live in a place
: a group of people or animals of a particular kind that live in a place

POPULATION Defined for Kids

population

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noun pop·u·la·tion \ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən\

Definition of population for Students

1 : the whole number of people living in a country, city, or area
2 : a group of people or animals living in a certain place the deer population

Word Root of population

The Latin word populus, meaning “people,” gives us the root popul. Words from the Latin populus have something to do with people. A population is the group of people living in a particular place. Anything popular is common among or enjoyed by many people. A place that is populous has many people living in it.

Medical Dictionary

population

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noun pop·u·la·tion \ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən\

Medical Definition of population

1: the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region
2a: a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in commonb (1): the organisms inhabiting a particular locality (2): a group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins
3: a group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement