populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

transitive verb

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

a

: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people

b

: to provide with members

Synonyms

• colonize
• people
• settle

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

The Vermont legislation uses the Carbon Majors database to populate sophisticated models to determine the damages caused by greenhouse gas emissions in the state. —Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2024

Both the diversity and abundance of monotreme fossils from that site paint a picture of a very different Australian mammalian landscape — one populated with furry egg-layers. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2024

Saudi Arabia has blazing sun and vast stretches of land that can be populated with solar panels. —Stanley Reed, New York Times, 29 May 2024

Families populate the area where pit crews are putting the finishing touches on their teams’ race cars. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 26 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin populatus, past participle of populare to people, from Latin populus people

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

populate

verb

pop·​u·​late ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt 

populated; populating

1

: to have a place in : occupy, inhabit

2

: to provide with inhabitants : people