inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈha-bət 

inhabited; inhabiting; inhabits

transitive verb

1

: to occupy as a place of settled residence or habitat : live in

inhabit a small house

2

: to be present in or occupy in any manner or form

… the human beings who inhabit this tale …

—Al Newman

intransitive verb

archaic : to have residence in a place : dwell

inhabitable

in-ˈha-bə-tə-bəl 

adjective

inhabiter noun

Examples of inhabit in a Sentence

Several hundred species of birds inhabit the island.

This part of the country is inhabited by native tribes.

There is a romantic quality that inhabits all her paintings.

The novel is inhabited by a cast of eccentric characters.

Recent Examples on the Web

The filmmaker weaves together the current fights for not only the land, but also for the women who inhabit the land. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026

The novel does not offer the reader a character to comfortably inhabit or a moral to extract. —Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026

The Chiting Formation, with its rich fossil-bearing sediments, may yet yield more clues about the creatures that inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026

Instead of casinos, there are dinner-show theaters, go-kart tracks, and a sprawling Margaritaville megacomplex, its central fountain inhabited by giant animatronic Brachiosaurus that roar from time to time. —Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enhabiten, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French inhabiter, enhabiter, from Latin inhabitare, from in- + habitare to dwell, frequentative of habēre to have — more at give

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for inhabit

• cohabit
• jackrabbit
• abbot
• habit
• rabbit
• sabot
• shabbat

Kids Definition

inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈhab-ət 

: to live or dwell in

inhabitable

-ət-ə-bəl 

adjective