inhabit

verb

in·​hab·​it in-ˈha-bət How to pronounce inhabit (audio)
inhabited; inhabiting; inhabits

transitive verb

1
: to occupy as a place of settled residence or habitat : live in
inhabit a small house
2
: to be present in or occupy in any manner or form
the human beings who inhabit this taleAl Newman

intransitive verb

archaic : to have residence in a place : dwell
inhabitable adjective
inhabiter noun

Examples of inhabit in a Sentence

Several hundred species of birds inhabit the island. This part of the country is inhabited by native tribes. There is a romantic quality that inhabits all her paintings. The novel is inhabited by a cast of eccentric characters.
Recent Examples on the Web While The Bahamas is made up of nearly 700 coral islands, only 30 of them are inhabited. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 Cage portrays Paul, who, along with his sons Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) and Joseph (Jaeden Martell), inhabit a world where mysterious creatures emerge at night to unleash evil on the little population that remains. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 However, research contradicts this tale, indicating that snakes never inhabited the Emerald Isle — as the entire island was once covered in ice, and there is no fossil evidence of snakes in the region. Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 This barren world also is inhabited by the beleaguered Fremen, whose eyes have gone blue from long contact with spice and who are considered subhuman by the other planets and their armies. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 While caste discrimination has been outlawed for decades, Dalits have long inhabited the lowest social rung in Indian society, with few opportunities on the literary scene. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024 Leopard seals live in the frigid Southern Ocean, inhabiting the icy Antarctic continent as well as sub-Antarctic regions. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 Anemones, sea stars, urchins, barnacles, periwinkles and other marine creatures inhabit the park’s tide pools — some of the best in Southern California. Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 The trio inhabit their own luxe spaces, but never intersect in the visual shot in New York and Atlanta. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhabit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enhabiten, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French inhabiter, enhabiter, from Latin inhabitare, from in- + habitare to dwell, frequentative of habēre to have — more at give

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhabit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near inhabit

Cite this Entry

“Inhabit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhabit. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inhabit

verb
in·​hab·​it in-ˈhab-ət How to pronounce inhabit (audio)
: to live or dwell in
inhabitable adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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