as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of populate
An auditorium in the Tri-Rail headquarters building next to the rail line’s Pompano Beach station was heavily populated by staff members and contractors, as well as Dech’s wife, Kathy.
—
David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
This is a twisted travelogue of sorts, each chapter devoted to a circle of hell populated by one group of sports gambling’s myriad losers.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
And the north of Australia makes the Sahara look positively populated.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
An advisory committee on vaccines newly populated by members who share Kennedy’s criticism of vaccines voted in December to recommend delaying when most babies begin to be vaccinated against the virus.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
This is a twisted travelogue of sorts, each chapter devoted to a circle of hell populated by one group of sports gambling’s myriad losers.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
And the north of Australia makes the Sahara look positively populated.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
An advisory committee on vaccines newly populated by members who share Kennedy’s criticism of vaccines voted in December to recommend delaying when most babies begin to be vaccinated against the virus.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populate
Verb
-
This is a style seen more refined than ever in her new Tribeca home, a Gilded Age relic once inhabited by the AD100 hall-of-famer French architect Thierry Despont.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Santa Cruz, a hunk of volcanic rock wedged between the blues of sky and ocean and inhabited by over a thousand scrappy species of creatures and plants, feels magnificently wild.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The paradox of this quartet of movies up for the new casting Oscar, all boldly peopled with nonprofessionals, is that this very practice has become professionalized.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Why can’t people RSVP properly for goodness’ sake?—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populate. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
