populating

verb

present participle of populate
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

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 populating The natural next step is to certify the data populating those definitions to the same standard as the definitions themselves, because that determines whether organizations can trust the systems built on top of them to act. — Jay Limburn, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 In practice, that means AI is running the numbers, populating forms, surfacing options, and even suggesting installation dates. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 July 2026 Increasingly online, Americans started populating echo chambers and imbibing conspiracies, and distrust of the media grew. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating
  1. inhabiting
  2. colonizing
Verb
  • Even in smaller supporting parts, Neill had an uncanny ability to make a film feel richer simply by inhabiting its world with complete conviction.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 July 2026
  • What sustains him through that process, Craker added, is watching an artist move from merely singing a song to fully inhabiting it.
    — Faye Bradley, Variety, 2 July 2026
Definition of inhabiting
Verb
  • Some who don’t embrace their Spanish ancestry view those who do as part of the colonizing minority, not the colonized majority.
    — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
  • 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.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of colonizing

Browse Nearby Words

populates
populating
populist
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Cite this Entry

“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on populating

Nglish: Translation of populating for Spanish Speakers

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