populate

[ pop-yuh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing.

1. to inhabit; live in; be the inhabitants of:

   Almost 2 million people populate the immediate area of the factory and were exposed to potential carcinogens.

2. to furnish with inhabitants, as by colonization; people:

   In the 1700s, the British government populated the colony of New South Wales with convicts.

3. Digital Technology. to fill (a digital document): She’s a fantastic photographer who has populated her blog with beautiful images.

   The survey results will populate the spreadsheet as soon as they are submitted online.

   She’s a fantastic photographer who has populated her blog with beautiful images.

populate

/ ˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. often passive to live in; inhabit
2. to provide a population for; colonize or people

Other Words From

• out·pop·u·late verb (used with object) outpopulated outpopulating
• re·pop·u·late verb (used with object) repopulated repopulating
• su·per·pop·u·lat·ed adjective
• un·der·pop·u·late verb (used with object) underpopulated underpopulating
• un·pop·u·lat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of populate¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre “to populate, inhabit”; people, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of populate¹

C16: from Medieval Latin populāre to provide with inhabitants, from Latin populus people

Example Sentences

On Sunday, an Israeli strike targeted a building in the densely populated Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, killing Mohammed Afif, the head of Hezbollah’s media relations office, along with three other people, according to Lebanese health authorities.

From Los Angeles Times

The cast of Renaissance characters is also large and somewhat ungainly, populated with outsize historical players that include Michelangelo, Savonarola, Raphael, Niccolò Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia, various popes, assorted Medicis and many more.

From Los Angeles Times

They can also be extra cautious when driving at night, when mountain lions in populated areas are more likely to be active.

From Science Daily

“We populated the park with families that wanted to be involved with positive things,” says Nodal, whose book “How the Arts Made A Difference” documented the transformation.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s densely populated too, and that combination of pedestrian traffic and the cars zooming along the main arteries of Wilshire and Olympic boulevards and Third Street, take a little bloom off the rose.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• colonize
• inhabit
• occupy