POPULATE Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

populate

verb

ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt

Definition of populate

as in to inhabit

to supply with inhabitants a small island populated only by woodland creatures

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of populate Akhtar has written a book obsessed with interpretation, populated by professors, students, doctors, lawyers, and writers committed by profession to meaning-making. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 The gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that populate human intestines. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 They were suspended from the ceiling, and populated the windows, too. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026 Black bears in Maryland are known to populate Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties. — Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for populate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for populate

Verb

And in the event that someone wasn’t aware of what Children of Blood and Bone was, the panel did its job, promising an exuberant, swaggering epic with a charming cast to inhabit it.

— Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The dwellings were built within Cliff Dweller Canyon and inhabited by people of the Mogollon Culture between the late 1270s and 1300.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of inhabit

Verb

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers’ remarkable debut novel tells a story of the American South, one set in Georgia and peopled with a cast of characters that exist in a rich, layered, and challenging reality.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Today, this part of the South Side seems to be almost entirely peopled by Black families.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

Definition of people

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popularizing

populate

populated

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“Populate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populate. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of populate

verb

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