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populate Meaning & Definition

/ˈpɒp.jʊˌleɪt/

What Does Populate Mean?

Populate is a verb that means To supply with inhabitants; to people. It can also mean To live in; to inhabit. As an adjective, it means populous.

Populate: Key Facts

Part of speechverb, adjective
Pronunciation//ˈpɒp.jʊˌleɪt//
Syllables1
Synonymsdwell, live and inhabit
Antonymsdepopulate
Comparative / superlativemore populate, most populate
Verb formspopulates, populating, populated

Populate Definition (Verb)

  1. To supply with inhabitants; to people.
  2. To live in; to inhabit.
  3. To increase in number; to breed.
  4. To fill initially empty items in a collection.

    John clicked the Search button and waited for the list to populate.

  5. To fill initially empty slots or sockets on a circuit board or similar.

Populate as an Adjective

  1. populous

Synonyms of Populate

Populate synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Populate

Populate in a Sentence

John clicked the Search button and waited for the list to populate.

Clicking the refresh button will populate the grid.

Word Forms & Grammar

populate (third-person singular simple present populates, present participle populating, simple past and past participle populated)

populate (comparative more populate, superlative most populate)

Words That Rhyme With Populate

Origin of Populate

Borrowed from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populor (“populate”), from Latin populus (“people”).

Populate Pronunciation

Populate is pronounced //ˈpɒp.jʊˌleɪt// and has 1 syllable.

Common Questions About Populate

Is populate a verb or an adjective?

Populate is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as an adjective.

What is another word for populate?

Close synonyms of populate are dwell, live and inhabit. See the full list of populate synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of populate?

The opposite of populate is depopulate.

What is the past tense of populate?

The past tense of populate is populated. The present participle is populating.

What are the comparative and superlative forms of populate?

The comparative form is more populate and the superlative form is most populate.

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