inhabitant
Americannoun
-
inhabitants
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inhabitant
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin inhabitant- (stem of inhabitāns ) dwelling in. See inhabit, -ant
Explanation
Someone who usually lives in a specific place — whether it's a mansion, a cave, or a beach house — is its inhabitant. The old man who lives in the scary house down the street is its inhabitant, and the skunk that built a nest under your porch is — unfortunately — an inhabitant of your front yard. The noun inhabitant comes from the verb inhabit, or "to live in," which in turn is rooted in the Latin word inhabitare, "to dwell in or to live in."
Vocabulary lists containing inhabitant
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Geography and World Regions
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The First State of Being
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the U.K. if the ruling party changes its leader it means a new inhabitant of 10 Downing Street, even without a fresh national poll.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
In this case, a cave filled with the remains of past meals became a shelter for a completely different kind of inhabitant.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026
The fluffy inhabitant also helps to entice customers.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
From this summer, visitors will be invited to explore the forest and discover its newest inhabitant, a large-scale, mythical puppet creature inspired by the landscape and its unique species through a series of interactive performances.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
We crossed the Catherine Street Bridge to the more populous part of town, which now appeared without inhabitant.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The newcomer was KD1, a 4½-year-old eagle who has since become a repeat visitor to the aerie that’s livestreamed around the clock, earning its inhabitants worldwide internet fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He said: "In comparison to the inhabitants of Hemsby and Happisburgh, we are so lucky. We don't think about it too much."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation -- one for every seven inhabitants.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
But Miles struggles futilely to stay at his desk, frequently escaping to explore Greensbury and to make the acquaintance of the town’s inhabitants, a decidedly quirky lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Other inhabitants use silence for cover—the lizards crawling on dead trees, the hordes of gnats hovering above our heads, and the worms wiggling in and out of the muddy swamp floor.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
