inhabit
Americanverb
-
(tr) to live or dwell in; occupy
-
archaic (intr) to abide or dwell
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inhabit
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin inhabitāre, equivalent to in- in- 2 + habitāre “to dwell” ( see habit 2); replacing Middle English enhabiten, from Middle French enhabiter, from Latin as above
Explanation
When you inhabit a place, you live there. When actors inhabit their roles, they seem to become the characters, no longer actors reciting their lines. It is like they live the life of the character. The verb inhabit comes from the Old French enhabiter, meaning “dwell in.” You can inhabit an actual place, like a home, a cave, or a neighborhood. You can also inhabit an imaginary world, like those who choose to inhabit cyberspace with a made-up persona, telling about experiences that are nothing like the person's real life. Actors who truly inhabit their roles sometimes struggle to return to reality after a movie or television show wraps.
Vocabulary lists containing inhabit
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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List 2
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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.
And like the competent multitasking women they inhabit, as they’re piecing clues together, their dynamic fuels a path of internal discovery for both.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
By combining archaeological evidence with climate and environmental records, researchers were able to build a more accurate timeline for when humans could reenter areas that had once been too harsh to inhabit.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Not to debate it, not to tolerate it, but to actually inhabit it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Seven years ago, just 50 pine hoverflies were thought to inhabit a single woodland site and the species is still considered critically endangered.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
He had just lately begun to inhabit this territory on the edge of the village.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
