as in inhabiting
to supply with inhabitants
a small island populated only by woodland creatures
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Recent Examples of populating
In January, the platform released an album touting its music possibilities, populating the tracklist with an assortment of cloned vocalists, including Liza Minelli.
—
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
Russell’s performance gains even more power from all the other great performances that surround it; one of many things Shelton has in common with Peckinpah, as well as Preston Sturges, is a gift for populating his movies with vivid supporting players down to the day players.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026
In recent weeks, some Reddit users have also been populating the San Francisco subreddit with photos and videos of Chonkers, sharing updates when the sea lion is on view.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the past decade has seen a string of new-agey boutique hotels populating the seaside town’s western shores, signaling a new awakening for this slice of France’s western coastline.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
This story of star-formation is ubiquitous throughout our natural history, with sextillions of stars populating our observable Universe today, with nuclear fusion providing the sustaining energy for most modern stars.
—Big Think, 20 Apr. 2026
People who see ghosts tend to see the same ghost wafting down the same staircase, but none of the characters populating Leo’s wacko hallucinations have returned for a repeat perfor-mance.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
As more spacecraft are slated to start populating this area thanks to private companies launching their own satellites and landers (more on that shortly), resolving how to remain safe in cislunar space is top of mind.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Geographic isolation and cold temperatures have actually hindered snakes from populating the wilds of many islands; New Zealand, Iceland and Greenland are all also snake-free.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
Russell’s performance gains even more power from all the other great performances that surround it; one of many things Shelton has in common with Peckinpah, as well as Preston Sturges, is a gift for populating his movies with vivid supporting players down to the day players.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026
In recent weeks, some Reddit users have also been populating the San Francisco subreddit with photos and videos of Chonkers, sharing updates when the sea lion is on view.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the past decade has seen a string of new-agey boutique hotels populating the seaside town’s western shores, signaling a new awakening for this slice of France’s western coastline.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
This story of star-formation is ubiquitous throughout our natural history, with sextillions of stars populating our observable Universe today, with nuclear fusion providing the sustaining energy for most modern stars.
—Big Think, 20 Apr. 2026
People who see ghosts tend to see the same ghost wafting down the same staircase, but none of the characters populating Leo’s wacko hallucinations have returned for a repeat perfor-mance.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
As more spacecraft are slated to start populating this area thanks to private companies launching their own satellites and landers (more on that shortly), resolving how to remain safe in cislunar space is top of mind.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Geographic isolation and cold temperatures have actually hindered snakes from populating the wilds of many islands; New Zealand, Iceland and Greenland are all also snake-free.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for populating
Verb
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Around another corner is Hagar in the Wilderness (1875), still inhabiting the wasteland around her after being scorned by Abraham.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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The translator is keenly aware of inhabiting this space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With proper care and maintenance, most mosses will double in size in about a year, filling in bare soil and colonizing your garden space all on their own.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2026
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Imagine crossing thousands of miles of open ocean — no rest stops, no landmarks — and somehow colonizing a remote archipelago to start entirely new lineages.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Populating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/populating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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