as in occupying
to be in a place for a period of time
We need to protect the forests and also the wildlife that inhabits them. The people who inhabit the island take great pride in their art.
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Recent Examples of inhabiting
The casting of Hahn will be a bit of a magical treat to fans, who for months had fan-cast her as the bad guy in this project, even when actress Scarlett Johansson was temporarily inhabiting it.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
These felines lived up to their elusive reputation by inhabiting a swampy forest, an environment that requires navigating harsh natural obstacles to reach.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Pellerin locks onto Madekwe as both an ideal and his prey, inhabiting more and more of his physical space until the audience is as complicit in his twisted dance as Matthew is.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But as Freeman kept inhabiting her, Aunt Viv loosened.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Nov. 2025
The mussel is a freshwater species inhabiting shallow waters, and colonizes hard surfaces such as water intakes — impeding water flow, clogging pipes, and damaging equipment, including boat motors.
—Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025
Body horror is perhaps the most transgender genre of literature because trans people can be all too familiar with inhabiting a body that doesn’t feel like their own anymore, which White thoroughly explores throughout the novel.
—Ana Osorno, Them., 21 Nov. 2025
The music video is a single shot of Welch in the back of a car, singing along in a suit, sporting shades and a cigar, both mocking and inhabiting the position of male dominance.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2025
On Tuesday night the onstage performer inhabiting the creature created by Tahra Zafar was Arti Shah, and it was voiced by James Hameed.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
These felines lived up to their elusive reputation by inhabiting a swampy forest, an environment that requires navigating harsh natural obstacles to reach.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Pellerin locks onto Madekwe as both an ideal and his prey, inhabiting more and more of his physical space until the audience is as complicit in his twisted dance as Matthew is.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But as Freeman kept inhabiting her, Aunt Viv loosened.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Nov. 2025
The mussel is a freshwater species inhabiting shallow waters, and colonizes hard surfaces such as water intakes — impeding water flow, clogging pipes, and damaging equipment, including boat motors.
—Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025
Body horror is perhaps the most transgender genre of literature because trans people can be all too familiar with inhabiting a body that doesn’t feel like their own anymore, which White thoroughly explores throughout the novel.
—Ana Osorno, Them., 21 Nov. 2025
The music video is a single shot of Welch in the back of a car, singing along in a suit, sporting shades and a cigar, both mocking and inhabiting the position of male dominance.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2025
On Tuesday night the onstage performer inhabiting the creature created by Tahra Zafar was Arti Shah, and it was voiced by James Hameed.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhabiting
Verb
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Inside, authorities found fresh groceries, animals, and other signs that people are actively occupying some of the units.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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In this next example, from the 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last month, Smith Rowe and Samuel Chukwueze are occupying the visitors’ wide centre-backs while Timothy Castagne and Kenny Tete are pinning the wing-backs, allowing Wilson and Jimenez to overload Maxence Lacroix in the middle.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even the majority of the middle class, who were still able to cover the cost of living until last year, are almost completely paralyzed at the moment.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
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One afternoon Camacho paused on a trail and stripped the shoots of the duroia tree to reveal tiny ants living inside.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inhabiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhabiting. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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