as in inhabiting
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of populating
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
As more spacecraft are slated to start populating this area thanks to private companies launching their own satellites and landers (more on that shortly), resolving how to remain safe in cislunar space is top of mind.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Geographic isolation and cold temperatures have actually hindered snakes from populating the wilds of many islands; New Zealand, Iceland and Greenland are all also snake-free.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Some of the people populating the world’s feeds are doing valuable work—the journalists and open-source-intelligence gatherers trying to confirm events and produce original reporting, for example.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
As more spacecraft are slated to start populating this area thanks to private companies launching their own satellites and landers (more on that shortly), resolving how to remain safe in cislunar space is top of mind.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Geographic isolation and cold temperatures have actually hindered snakes from populating the wilds of many islands; New Zealand, Iceland and Greenland are all also snake-free.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Some of the people populating the world’s feeds are doing valuable work—the journalists and open-source-intelligence gatherers trying to confirm events and produce original reporting, for example.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating
Verb
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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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With proper care and maintenance, most mosses will double in size in about a year, filling in bare soil and colonizing your garden space all on their own.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2026
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Imagine crossing thousands of miles of open ocean — no rest stops, no landmarks — and somehow colonizing a remote archipelago to start entirely new lineages.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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