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

In director Jamie Lloyd’s electric and minimalist Broadway update of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1990s musical based on a ‘50s movie, the former Pussycat Doll nails the comedy of a camp diva — inhabiting former ingenue Norma’s delusion and ego without ever losing sight of her sincerity. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024

But while tech giants raced to build the perfect virtual reality platform, millions of users were already inhabiting, creating and trading in Roblox's ever-expanding digital universe. —Catherine D Henry, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

His rival Elon Musk envisions inhabiting space as a way for humanity to live on beyond Earth, if a cataclysm strikes our planet. —Dave Lawler, Axios, 8 Dec. 2024

Murphy’s history is intertwined with the Cherokee people, who once inhabited this land. —Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈhab-ət 

: to live or dwell in

inhabitable

-ət-ə-bəl 

adjective