populate

American  

[pop-yuh-leyt] / ˈpɒp yəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

populated, populating

1. to inhabit; live in; be the inhabitants of.

   Almost 2 million people populate the immediate area of the factory and were exposed to potential carcinogens.

2. to furnish with inhabitants, as by colonization; people.

   In the 1700s, the British government populated the colony of New South Wales with convicts.

3. Digital Technology. to fill (a digital document): She’s a fantastic photographer who has populated her blog with beautiful images.

   The survey results will populate the spreadsheet as soon as they are submitted online.

   She’s a fantastic photographer who has populated her blog with beautiful images.

---

populate British  

/ ˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (often passive) to live in; inhabit

2. to provide a population for; colonize or people

---

Other Word Forms

• outpopulate verb (used with object)
• repopulate verb (used with object)
• superpopulated adjective
• underpopulate verb (used with object)
• unpopulated adjective

Etymology

Origin of populate

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre “to populate, inhabit”; people, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Greenland is the world's most sparsely populated territory.

From BBC

It is also the most sparsely populated territory.

From BBC

Greenland is literally the polar opposite of Venezuela: a lightly populated, democratically governed territory of Denmark, itself a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally that cooperates closely with the U.S. on security.

From The Wall Street Journal

This triggered an immediate outcry in the Texas territory, which was largely populated by slave-owning immigrants from the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

How does your experience of coming out as a young adult under the spotlight parallel the fears Will feels in this fictional world populated by monsters?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• colonize
• inhabit
• occupy