inhabit

[ in-hab-it ]

See synonyms for: inhabit inhabited inhabiting inhabitable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to live or dwell in (a place), as people or animals: Small animals inhabited the woods.
to exist or be situated within; dwell in: Weird notions inhabit his mind.

verb (used without object)

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

Origin of inhabit

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin inhabitāre, equivalent to in- in-² + habitāre “to dwell” (see habit²); replacing Middle English enhabiten, from Middle French enhabiter, from Latin as above

Other words for inhabit

1, 2	reside, occupy, tenant, populate

See synonyms for inhabit on Thesaurus.com

Other words from inhabit

in·hab·it·a·ble, adjective
in·hab·i·ta·tion, noun
pre·in·hab·it, verb (used with object)
pre·in·hab·i·ta·tion, noun
re·in·hab·it, verb (used with object)

Words that may be confused with inhabit

habitable, inhabitable , uninhabitable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inhabit in a sentence

Only time will tell how well Emhoff inhabits his new position.
Doug Emhoff, wife guy extraordinaire | Anna North | January 22, 2021 | Vox
When you picture a dire wolf, the image that comes to mind is probably one of those unbelievably fluffy yet terrifying creatures that inhabited Winterfell in Game of Thrones.
Dire wolves are actually ice age mega-foxes | Sara Kiley Watson | January 21, 2021 | Popular-Science
A 2020 study of hippo-inhabited lakes found that nutrients in the animals’ feces were fueling huge blooms of bacteria and algae.
Invasion of the hippos: Colombia is running out of time to tackle Pablo Escobar’s wildest legacy | Sarah Kaplan | January 11, 2021 | Washington Post
This platform allows you to not only host a party and talk to your guests over video call, but you can also create and decorate the indoor and outdoor spaces they’ll virtually inhabit.
These apps bring the magic of a house party online | Sandra Gutierrez G. | January 10, 2021 | Popular-Science
Someday, I would inhabit this role of “surfer” I had envisioned for myself.
How I Learned to Surf in Middle Age | Tom Vanderbilt | January 5, 2021 | Outside Online

The legends of the discovery and inhabitation of Ireland before the Flood, are too purely mythical to demand serious notice.
An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800 | Mary Frances Cusack
As these two desiderata seem indispensable to lunar inhabitation, we may chiefly consider the question, Do these conditions exist?
Moon Lore | Timothy Harley
Traces of Romano-British inhabitation have been noted elsewhere in Manchester, especially near the cathedral.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 5 | Various
The Historie of Irelande from the first inhabitation thereof, vnto the yeare 1509.
Catalogue of the Books Presented by Edward Capell to the Library of Trinity College in Cambridge | W. W. Greg
The geological changes through which the earth has passed indicate "a process of preparation" for the inhabitation of man.
The Theistic Conception of the World | B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Cocker

British Dictionary definitions for inhabit

inhabit

/ (ɪnˈhæbɪt) /

verb-its, -iting or -ited

(tr) to live or dwell in; occupy
(intr) archaic to abide or dwell

Origin of inhabit

C14: from Latin inhabitāre, from habitāre to dwell

Derived forms of inhabit

inhabitable, adjective
inhabitability, noun
inhabitation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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