populate
verb
pop·u·late
ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 
populated; populating
2
a
: to furnish or provide with inhabitants : people
b
: to provide with members
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 fighting also decimated the hospital, and the Palestinian civil defense says hundreds of bodies, many of them civilians, are still being recovered in the city, which is sparsely populated these days compared with Rafah.
—
Jane Arraf, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
Ben-Gurion’s own concept of the Jewish future in Palestine was based simply on acquiring as much land as possible, if not necessarily the entire territory, and populating it with as many Jews and as few Arabs as possible.
—Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
José José – Vive Long before the affectations of the ‘80s turned his records into slick synthetic affairs, Mexican crooner José José inhabited a larger-than-life realm populated by harpsichords and the analog sheen of his booming voice.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 16 Apr. 2024
The demilitarized zones offering aid and food are largely run by and populated with black and brown people.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Other countries are also preparing to populate the moon, with China announcing a 2030 target for astronauts to arrive on the lunar surface and India’s arrival intended by 2040.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
The only thing that populated on my [grid] was everything Drag Race.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Local governments and their building inspectors are barred from implementing their own regulations and ordinances regarding the equipment that populates most of the downtown skylines of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
David Mordini populates a former office with oversize plastic cicadas that gawk at passersby through big red or orange eyes as insect pitches emerge from a soundtrack by the late Barry Schmetter.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Jane Arraf, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
Ben-Gurion’s own concept of the Jewish future in Palestine was based simply on acquiring as much land as possible, if not necessarily the entire territory, and populating it with as many Jews and as few Arabs as possible.
—Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
José José – Vive Long before the affectations of the ‘80s turned his records into slick synthetic affairs, Mexican crooner José José inhabited a larger-than-life realm populated by harpsichords and the analog sheen of his booming voice.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 16 Apr. 2024
The demilitarized zones offering aid and food are largely run by and populated with black and brown people.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Other countries are also preparing to populate the moon, with China announcing a 2030 target for astronauts to arrive on the lunar surface and India’s arrival intended by 2040.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
The only thing that populated on my [grid] was everything Drag Race.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Local governments and their building inspectors are barred from implementing their own regulations and ordinances regarding the equipment that populates most of the downtown skylines of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
David Mordini populates a former office with oversize plastic cicadas that gawk at passersby through big red or orange eyes as insect pitches emerge from a soundtrack by the late Barry Schmetter.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'populate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near populate
Cite this Entry
“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populate. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
populate
verb
pop·u·late
ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt
populated; populating
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