populate meaning and definition

POPULATE verb

Definition of populate (verb)

1. inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of
   • "People lived in Africa millions of years ago"; "The people inhabited the islands that are now deserted"; "this kind of fish dwells near the bottom of the ocean"; "deer are populating the woods"
   • synonyms: dwell, inhabit, live
2. fill with inhabitants
   • "populate the forest with deer and wild boar for hunting"