populate

[ pop-yuh-leyt ]

See synonyms for populate 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.

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, adjective
un·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

Now Jeff Bezos has focused his sights on populating distant galaxies.
Jeff Bezos: ‘I See Millions Working in Outer Space’ | Lloyd Grove | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Populating that name with examples that people can relate to makes it understandable.
Anna Paquin’s Bisexuality for Dummies | Amanda Marcotte | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Rita Ora may be the most obvious example of this celebrity phenomenon populating our Instagram feeds.
The Improbable Rise of Rita Ora: A Guide for the Modern-Day Celebrity | Emma Gannon | May 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“We need to stop populating Guantánamo Bay (GTMO) with low-level enemy combatants,” Rumsfeld wrote back then.
Terry Carrico, Ex-Guantánamo Prison Commander, Says Facility Should Close | Aram Roston | January 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
There will still be birthers populating the fringes of online discourse.
Birthers Who Won't Give Up | John Avlon | April 28, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

Unfortunately, it effected very little, incapable as it was of populating even Mexico.
The Pirates of the Prairies | Gustave Aimard
My dear Mr. Percivail, women will go on being ruled to the end of time unless they cease populating the world with sons.
West Wind Drift | George Barr McCutcheon
They were the outgrowth of an ancient policy that had been used centuries ago for populating the planets of the galaxy.
But, I Don't Think | Gordon Randall Garrett
His vigor as a tireless centaur had helped him powerfully in his task of populating his lands.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Vicente Blasco Ibanez
Donna Inez might have belonged to a race populating another planet of the solar system.
The Green Mummy | Fergus Hume

British Dictionary definitions for populate

populate

/ (ˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt) /

verb(tr)

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

Origin of 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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