populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce populate (audio)
populated; populating
Synonyms of populatenext

transitive verb

1
: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit
Strange creatures populate the deep ocean.
2
a
: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people
… there were survivors, and their descendants populate the world today.—Walter Alvarez
b
: to provide with members

Synonyms of populate

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of populate in a Sentence

Immigrants began to populate the area in the late 19th century. Strange creatures populate the ocean depths.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
These are towns that were largely populated by white flight in the last several decades. — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026 Once that’s done, a separate tool populates that shape with a specific sequence of amino acids that can ensure the protein folds into the appropriate configuration to match the shape. — ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026 Take Málaga’s Monumental Cemetery of San Sebastian, in Spain, which overlooks the typical picturesque Andalusian countryside populated with olive groves. — Mitchell Gilburne, Architectural Digest, 26 Oct. 2026 Trading zero-day options may also require significant expertise, given a market populated with sophisticated traders. — Daniel Kern, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for populate

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre "to provide with inhabitants,", derivative of Latin populus people entry 1

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of populate was in 1578

Rhymes for populate

See All Rhymes for populate

Browse Nearby Words

popular taste
populate
population
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populate. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

populate

verb
pop·​u·​late ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce populate (audio)
populated; populating
1
: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit
2
: to provide with inhabitants : people
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All