population

noun

pop·u·la·tion | \ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of population

1a : 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

3a : 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

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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 on the Web

At the same time, there's a humongous portion of the population that just consumes propaganda. — Olivia Fleming, Harper's BAZAAR, "Mara Liasson and Emma Brown Know the Advantages of Being a Female Journalist," 29 Oct. 2018 There is severe depression across much of the patient population. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "The Heroes of Science Who Are Unlocking the Brain," 3 Oct. 2018 People with this early-onset form comprise less than 10 percent of the Alzheimer’s population. — Korin Miller, SELF, "10 Facts About Alzheimer's Disease You Should Know," 28 Sep. 2018 And interestingly, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association reported earlier this year that Hawaii has the lowest skin cancer rate of any state's population. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Google Searches May Reveal Which States Have Gotten the Most Sunburns So Far This Summer," 12 Aug. 2018 That would mean not speaking to the different bits of their mosaic coalition as if each had separate interests that are opposed to those of the population at large. — The Economist, "What’s left?To win back power, Democrats must do things that make them uncomfortable," 14 July 2018 Powell quickly established Klaverns in Oregon’s six largest towns and soon boasted of fourteen thousand members, about 2 percent of the state’s population. — Longreads, "Oregon’s Racist Past," 12 July 2018 It’s estimated that about 2% to 4% of the U.S. population has MG, says Manhart, compared to about 0.5% for gonorrhea and about 4% for chlamydia. — Amanda Macmillan, Health.com, "What Is Mycoplasma Genitalium? British Doctors Are Warning That This Sexually Transmitted Infection Could Be the Next Big Superbug," 11 July 2018 This year, more than half of Asia-Pacific's population will be urban, and that figure will increase to two-thirds by 2050, the United Nations estimates. — Michael Taylor, The Christian Science Monitor, "Won't you be my neighbor: Melbourne experiments with community-led housing," 11 July 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.