English Reference
Verb

populate

v.
C1 Advanced US /ˈpɑpjəˌɫeɪt/ UK /pˈɒpjʊlˌeɪt/ pop·u·late UK spelling populates, populating Computing Electronics

v.to fill a place or a system with people or data. In computing, it means putting information into a database or a file.

v.to fill a space, area, or system with people or data. In a technical context, refers to the process of inserting data into a database or populating a file with specific content.


SIMPLE

The software will populate the form with your previous details.

CONTEXTUAL

The database administrator needs to populate the new server with the latest customer records before the system goes live.

COMPLEX

Automated scripts can populate the spreadsheet with real-time data from various sensors, ensuring that the dashboard remains updated without manual intervention.

When an 1857 decree from Napoleon III forced landowners to drain the marsh and populate it with maritime pines, the water-logged landscape was converted into Europe’s largest human-made forest.

The Guardian· 23 Aug 2026

If so, the Saguaro could offer an important link between the large population of little red dots Webb sees at high redshift and the galaxies that populate the more recent universe.

ScienceDaily· 17 Aug 2026

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

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin populus
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated