population

noun

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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 The population is aging faster than those bananas on your counter. — Steve Lopezcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Plenty of clubs would reject me, but for the senior center, my credentials are perfect," 4 Jan. 2020 The hare population is also very high this winter along the Alaska Range, giving goshawks alternative targets. — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "A pressure cooker, a couple of willow ptarmigan and voila! Dinner is served.," 4 Jan. 2020 The main Libyan faction backing Tripoli is from Misurata, whose population is mostly ethnically Turkish and traces its roots to Turkey. — New York Times, "Turkey, Flexing Its Muscles, Will Send Troops to Libya," 2 Jan. 2020 Overall, Oregon’s population was up less than 36,000, or just under 1%, from July 2018, the federal agency said. — oregonlive, "Oregon population growth lowest in 6 years," 31 Dec. 2019 The population is much older. That’s the challenge for the church: how to be a relevant agent of change for the better, where harmony and a healthy existence can occur. — Njaimeh Njie, Cincinnati.com, "Tracing water, memory and change through black experiences along and near Route 65," 30 Dec. 2019 At Smithson Valley High, the free or reduced-lunch population is 13 percent. — Alia Malik, ExpressNews.com, "Schools in San Antonio’s exurbs are becoming more integrated," 27 Dec. 2019 The entire population of the Netherlands is just over 17 million. — Marc Bain, Quartz, "The Netherlands doesn’t want you to call it Holland anymore," 27 Dec. 2019 The city has a population of about 10,000 and is about 170 highway miles east of New Orleans, where Etienne, 20, will play for the national championship on Jan. 13 if his Tigers beat the Buckeyes. — Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, "Travis Etienne is the overlooked star of the Clemson offense with some help from Popeyes," 27 Dec. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

8 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Population.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/population. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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More Definitions for population

population

noun