Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense inhabits, present participle inhabiting, past tense, past participle inhabited
verb
If a place or region is inhabited by a group of people or a species of animal, those people or animals live there.
The valley is inhabited by the Dani tribe. [beVERB-ed]
...the people who inhabit these islands. [VERB noun]
...the beautifully coloured fish that inhabit the Egyptian reefs. [VERB noun]
...a land primarily inhabited by nomads. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: live in, people, occupy, populate More Synonyms of inhabit
inhabit in British English
(ɪnˈhæbɪt)
verbWord forms: -its, -iting or -ited
1. (transitive)
to live or dwell in; occupy
2. (intransitive) archaic
to abide or dwell
Derived forms
inhabitable (inˈhabitable)
adjective
inhabitability (inˌhabitaˈbility)
noun
inhabitation (inˌhabiˈtation)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin inhabitāre, from habitāre to dwell
inhabit in American English
(ɪnˈhæbɪt)
verb transitive
1.
to dwell or live in (a region, house, etc.); occupy
verb intransitive
2. Archaic
to dwell; live
Derived forms
inhabiter (inˈhabiter)
noun
Word origin
ME enhabiten < OFr enhabiter < L inhabitare < in-, in + habitare, to dwell < habitus: see habit
Examples of 'inhabit' in a sentence
inhabit
He is guilty of inhabiting a fantasy land.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We have a list of people ready to inhabit the island.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There was a direct association with sinful people and the places they inhabited.
Christianity Today (2000)
Most women inhabit places on that spectrum with which they are not totally happy.
Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind (1991)
The perpetrators of violence and their innocent targets do not inhabit the same place on the moral spectrum.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Have it already inhabited by two tribes of feral 1940s schoolboys?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This series exposes the animals that inhabit the capital - and the people who adore them.
The Sun (2012)
But that land is inhabited by a tenth of the world's population.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Their peoples have inhabited the area for about 4,000 years.
Crowley, Vivianne Phoenix From the Flame (1994)
The people who inhabited America at that time were fighting an uphill battle.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
During subsequent visits, different people seemed to inhabit the various rooms.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And the place they inhabit is far removed from an Athenian wood.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But it means you get this style of performance across the board that is people inhabiting characters rather than pretending to be people.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And it is one of the coldest permanently inhabited places on Earth.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It has been argued that these peoples may be genetically continuous with older groups that have inhabited the region for almost one hundred thousand years.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
They are forced into cooperation within the tribe by the erratic ecology of the lands they inhabit and their consequent inability to sustain the accumulation of wealth.
George Monbiot THE AGE OF CONSENT (2003)
There are millions of people inhabiting this planet who are tolerant of others and lead good and fruitful lives without feeling the need for any religious belief.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
inhabit
British English: inhabit VERB
If a place or region is inhabited by a group of people or a species of animal, those people or animals live there.
The valley is inhabited by the Dani tribe.
American English: inhabit
Brazilian Portuguese: habitar
Chinese: 居住于
European Spanish: habitar
French: habiter
German: bewohnen
Italian: abitare
Japanese: 住む
Korean: 서식하다
European Portuguese: habitar
Latin American Spanish: habitar
Chinese translation of 'inhabit'
inhabit
(ɪnˈhæbɪt)
vt
居住 (jūzhù)
(verb)
Definition
to live or dwell in
the people who inhabit these islands
Synonyms
live in
people
a small town peopled by workers and families
occupy
the couple who occupy the flat above mine
populate
the native people who populate areas around the city
reside in
tenant
lodge in
dwell in
colonize
The first British attempt to colonize Ireland was in the twelfth century.
take up residence in
abide in
make your home in
Additional synonyms
in the sense of colonize
Definition
to settle in (an area) as colonists
The first British attempt to colonize Ireland was in the twelfth century.
Synonyms
settle,
populate,
put down roots in,
people,
pioneer,
open up
in the sense of occupy
Definition
to live, stay, or work in (a house, flat, or office)