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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

out·pop·u·late, verb (used with object), out·pop·u·lat·ed, out·pop·u·lat·ing.re·pop·u·late, verb (used with object), re·pop·u·lat·ed, re·pop·u·lat·ing.su·per·pop·u·lat·ed, adjectiveun·der·pop·u·late, verb (used with object), un·der·pop·u·lat·ed, un·der·pop·u·lat·ing.

un·pop·u·lat·ed, adjective

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

How to use populate in a sentence

Wireless carriers in the middle of rolling out new super-fast 5G networks have focused on densely populated urban areas at the start.
There’s more 5G available in big cities. But which carrier is fastest?|Aaron Pressman|November 19, 2020|Fortune
Search engines can then use this information to populate search features, such as product Knowledge Panels or Google’s mobile Popular Products carousel.
How to get the most out of Google’s product Knowledge Panels|George Nguyen|November 2, 2020|Search Engine Land
BND can grant larger loans at a lower risk, which fosters a healthy financial ecosystem populated by a cluster of small North Dakota banks.
Exclusive: Rashida Tlaib and AOC have a proposal for a fairer financial system — public banking|Emily Stewart|October 30, 2020|Vox
Although Bangladesh has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and a substantial domestic medical and pharmaceutical sector, Dhaka is the most densely populated city on Earth.
Why We Need a Tech-Led Approach to Beat COVID-19|Tracy Moran|October 20, 2020|Ozy

The United Nations says that by 2050, 68% of the world will live in densely populated urban areas—up from 55% today.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming|Katie McLean|October 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Densely populated and impoverished, the community was struggling long before Ebola arrived.
Meet the Liberian Girls Beating Ebola|Abby Haglage|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a country with a fully functioning health system populated with able and willing medical professionals, this is doable.
Doctors Without Borders Hits Ebola Breaking Point|Abby Haglage, Kent Sepkowitz|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
ISIS is also beginning to make its presence felt in long-troubled and mostly Sunni-populated eastern Iran.
Iran Says It’s Under Attack by ISIS|Jassem Al Salami|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our American tendency to see the world as populated by like-minded souls is never productive.
Does Obama Remember He's President?|Stuart Stevens|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The border lacks major fortifications; the area is thinly populated.
Russia Steps Up Pressure on the Baltics|Will Cathcart|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He recognised the fact that the world was populated by fools, and he determined to make the most of his chances.
The Everlasting Arms|Joseph Hocking
I shall not presume to say anything on this subject, except that I believe this province has been populated about 270 years.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues
The mountains along both the north and the south coast were thinly populated.
A Roving Commission|G. A. Henty
We found the banks of the Ord very thickly populated, and frequently camped at night with different parties of natives.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
I request to be conducted into a better-populated compartment.
Baboo Jabberjee, B.A.|F. Anstey

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

populate

Origin of populate

OTHER WORDS FROM populate

Words related to populate

How to use populate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for populate

Word Origin for populate