as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
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Recent Examples of populate
As an existing subdivision — 99% of it vacant — Azure Vista offered hundreds of buildable vacant lots populated only by red ants, quail and Groucho Marx bugs.
—
Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
But there’s much more to consider than just the movies that populate the marquees.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
People who see ghosts tend to see the same ghost wafting down the same staircase, but none of the characters populating Leo’s wacko hallucinations have returned for a repeat perfor-mance.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
For all its potential silliness, real characters populate these bloody waters.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
But there’s much more to consider than just the movies that populate the marquees.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
People who see ghosts tend to see the same ghost wafting down the same staircase, but none of the characters populating Leo’s wacko hallucinations have returned for a repeat perfor-mance.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
For all its potential silliness, real characters populate these bloody waters.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for populate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populate
Verb
-
The translator is keenly aware of inhabiting this space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Puppets create a liminal space between the quotidian and the fantastic, while inhabiting the same, actual three-dimensional space as the rest of us.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 21 Apr. 2026.
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