as in inhabiting
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
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Recent Examples of populating
Shea Sprague and Jack Winnay, both recent draft picks by the Red Sox with Boston-area ties, are among the many minor leaguers populating the Fenway South complex this spring.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
That may be a key factor in populating a third useful line for the postseason.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Created by procedural mega-producer Dick Wolf, Chicago Med follows the medical personnel populating a bustling emergency room in a fictional Chicago hospital.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Former pro players populating college sports could make college sports seem more like the minor leagues, which might undermine the popularity of college sports among fans and impact accompanying business opportunities.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio came pre-attached to the project, but Kulukundis was responsible for populating the various worlds around him.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
Suddenly, most of the major groups of animals alive today — including vertebrates which would eventually include humans — evolved and started populating the world's oceans.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Companies exist that can help in establishing, populating, and reviewing the data room, such as Stella Legal.
—Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
That sets it apart from the myriad space operas populating big-budget TV in recent years; the relationships are the real substance of the show, the interstellar adventures are the dessert.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
That may be a key factor in populating a third useful line for the postseason.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Created by procedural mega-producer Dick Wolf, Chicago Med follows the medical personnel populating a bustling emergency room in a fictional Chicago hospital.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Former pro players populating college sports could make college sports seem more like the minor leagues, which might undermine the popularity of college sports among fans and impact accompanying business opportunities.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio came pre-attached to the project, but Kulukundis was responsible for populating the various worlds around him.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
Suddenly, most of the major groups of animals alive today — including vertebrates which would eventually include humans — evolved and started populating the world's oceans.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Companies exist that can help in establishing, populating, and reviewing the data room, such as Stella Legal.
—Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
That sets it apart from the myriad space operas populating big-budget TV in recent years; the relationships are the real substance of the show, the interstellar adventures are the dessert.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating
Verb
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Daisy Duck This eyelash curler truly leaves no crumbs, but is Daisy Duck inhabiting anyone else’s body?—
Fiona Landers,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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In these stretches, Willow sounds less concerned with proving her musicianship than actually inhabiting it.—
Precious Fondren,
Pitchfork,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mythologies of the medical ass could blossom, like the oral folklore of a tribe allowed to retain its own myths without the colonizing interference of invaders.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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The creatures rapidly spread along the interconnected coastal highways of a changing world, colonizing new habitats just as the Age of Dinosaurs began around 252 million years ago.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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