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populate

[ pop-yuh-leyt ]
/ ˈpɒp yəˌleɪt /
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See synonyms for: populate / populated / populating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing.
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.
to furnish with inhabitants, as by colonization; people: In the 1700s, the British government populated the colony of New South Wales with convicts.
Digital Technology. to fill (a digital document): 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.
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Origin of populate

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populāre “to populate, inhabit”; see people, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM populate

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

How to use populate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for populate

populate
/ (ˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt) /

verb (tr)
(often passive) to live in; inhabit
to provide a population for; colonize or people

Word Origin for populate

C16: from Medieval Latin populāre to provide with inhabitants, from Latin populus people
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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