as in inhabiting
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of populating
The discovery offers the first evidence that star-forming galaxies like Shadow Blaster play a significant role in populating the universe with mysterious high-energy cosmic ghost-neutrinos.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
18 June 2026
By populating the green with so many conflicting personalities, director and cowriter Harold Ramis makes golf seem both monumentally silly and, despite its staid trappings, unexpectedly freewheeling.
—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
The married duo of restaurateur Tracy Vaught and chef Hugo Ortega has made an indelible mark on Space City’s dining scene, populating Houston with Mexican restaurants that each tackle different subgenres of the cuisine.
—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
The cars populating it are some pretty inspired picks—a 986 Porsche Boxster, original Renault Twingo, E39 BMW M5, etcetera.
—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
The song just came to me, from somewhere, populating seamlessly in a stream of consciousness.
—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
His victim, in her unassailable purity, resists him, thereby proving that the arrivistes populating the ranks of England’s most upwardly mobile class had a moral edge over the nobility.
—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
That’s a risk for some artists, but Kehlani proved the potency of her latest by populating her set with newbies.
—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Among a slew of criminals and gangsters populating Paramount Plus’ streaming catalog, Mobland has stood out as a hit.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
18 June 2026
By populating the green with so many conflicting personalities, director and cowriter Harold Ramis makes golf seem both monumentally silly and, despite its staid trappings, unexpectedly freewheeling.
—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
The married duo of restaurateur Tracy Vaught and chef Hugo Ortega has made an indelible mark on Space City’s dining scene, populating Houston with Mexican restaurants that each tackle different subgenres of the cuisine.
—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
The cars populating it are some pretty inspired picks—a 986 Porsche Boxster, original Renault Twingo, E39 BMW M5, etcetera.
—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
The song just came to me, from somewhere, populating seamlessly in a stream of consciousness.
—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
His victim, in her unassailable purity, resists him, thereby proving that the arrivistes populating the ranks of England’s most upwardly mobile class had a moral edge over the nobility.
—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
That’s a risk for some artists, but Kehlani proved the potency of her latest by populating her set with newbies.
—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Among a slew of criminals and gangsters populating Paramount Plus’ streaming catalog, Mobland has stood out as a hit.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating
Verb
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But [Reeves] was inhabiting the same environment of Fort Smith and Fort Worth that the Duttons did in 1883.
-
Microraptor’s cousins lived on the ground, but inhabiting the canopy and gliding from tree to tree might have been a safer way to stay out of reach of larger meat-eating dinosaurs.
Verb
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Only about a third of clinical cases come from blood; the rest are found in urine, wounds and the respiratory tract, where the fungus is often colonizing rather than invading.
-
There’s plenty of room for skepticism about the prospect of humans colonizing Mars.
Cite this Entry
“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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