population

noun pop·u·la·tion \ ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: population in a Sentence

Definition of population

1 a : the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region

b : the total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole

c : the total of particles at a particular energy level —used especially of atoms in a laser

2 : the act or process of populating

3 a : a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in common

b (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 \ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ 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

Turkey is siphoning off an ever-growing share of the Tigris and Euphrates to feed its growing population in a warming climate.

— philip issa, Fox News, "Iraq bans farming summer crops as water crisis grows dire," 5 July 2018
Turkey is siphoning off an ever-growing share of the Tigris and Euphrates to feed its growing population in a warming climate.

— Washington Post, "Iraq bans farming summer crops as water crisis grows dire," 5 July 2018
Mighty Writers is a writing academy and an after-school program; its El Futuro branch is dedicated to the Latino immigrant community that has blossomed in a neighborhood long known for, and strengthened by, its immigrant population.

— mike newall, Philly.com, "Philly kids collected new books for immigrant children at Berks detention center. No thanks, officials told them.," 3 July 2018
If ever fully achieved, the partnership would also include the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and cover one third of the world’s economy and almost half its population.

— yuko takeo, Bloomberg.com, "World's Biggest Trading Bloc a Step Closer After Tokyo Meeting," 1 July 2018
More than 400,000 Kentuckians have joined Medicaid since 2014 as a result of the expansion, and the state estimated that some 350,000 of them — about a quarter of its overall Medicaid population — would be subject to the new work rule.

— abby goodnough, New York Times, "Judge Strikes Down Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Rules," 29 June 2018
The school has gained national attention for its large Arab-American population, as Dearborn is home to one of the largest concentrations of Arab-Americans in the country.

— hasan dudar, Detroit Free Press, "This Dearborn high school looks like a castle," 27 June 2018
Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a news release attached to the report that numbers showed the city was not building enough housing for its growing population, despite recent reforms to spur growth.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego home prices up 7.8% in a year," 26 June 2018
Their latest report focuses on urban neighborhoods, which account for 1 percent of the country’s land area and 17 percent of its population.

— rebecca lurye, Courant Community, "Report: Hartford Has The Highest Rate Of Urban Dwellers Living In Economically Troubled Neighborhoods," 26 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

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

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.