inhabit

[in-hab-it]

verb (used with object)

1. to live or dwell in (a place), as people or animals.

   Small animals inhabited the woods.

   Synonyms: populate, tenant, occupy, reside

2. to exist or be situated within; dwell in.

   Weird notions inhabit his mind.

   Synonyms: populate, tenant, occupy, reside

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic.,  to live or dwell, as in a place.

inhabit

/ ɪnˈhæbɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to live or dwell in; occupy

2. archaic,  (intr) to abide or dwell

Other Word Forms

• inhabitable adjective
• inhabitation noun
• preinhabit verb (used with object)
• preinhabitation noun
• reinhabit verb (used with object)
• inhabitability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inhabit¹

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin inhabitāre, equivalent to in- in- ² + habitāre “to dwell” ( habit ² ); replacing Middle English enhabiten, from Middle French enhabiter, from Latin as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of inhabit¹

C14: from Latin inhabitāre, from habitāre to dwell

Example Sentences

These microbes inhabit rock and water systems far below the surface, where sunlight never reaches.

Read more on Science Daily

But even with the school’s infrastructure behind him, the experience of playing the Playfair exists outside any practical career calculus; it marks an inflection point, a rare chance to inhabit history while shaping it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Their features clearly link them to a cardabiodontid, a group of giant predatory sharks that inhabited the oceans around 100 million years ago.

Read more on Science Daily

Department of Building and Safety on Friday, meaning it passed inspection and is safe to inhabit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Taste in gardens and landscapes tilted from love of picturesque nature inhabited by people and animals towards sublime Romantic wildness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• locate 
• occupy 
• populate 
• possess 
• reside