inhabit

American  

[in-hab-it] / ɪnˈhæb ɪt /

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

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verb (used without object)

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

inhabit British  

/ ɪnˈhæbɪt /

verb

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

2. archaic (intr) to abide or dwell

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of inhabit

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

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.

Example Sentences

But a city's soul is animated not just by its buildings and structures but also by the people who inhabit it.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

But even Mahajan’s most “self-destructive” Chopras who “live deathwards” have motivations so sophisticatedly complex that readers will inhabit their eyes, ears and bodies without fully penetrating their psyches.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

He did so on the strength of a performance that required him to inhabit dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s vampires-in-the-Mississippi Delta smash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Despite their elusive nature, evidence indicates they continue to inhabit the region.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Or can we use a nonspecific fungicide without also killing the fungi that inhabit the roots of many trees in a beneficial association that aids the tree in extracting nutrients from the soil?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• locate
• occupy
• populate
• possess
• reside