were populated with

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "were populated with" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where a place or area was filled or inhabited by certain people, animals, or things in the past. Example: "The ancient ruins were populated with various species of plants and animals that thrived in the region."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

Family parties were populated with stilt walkers and mimes.

The New York Times - Style

By 11 p.m., all the elements were populated with chattering young professionals drinking pisco cocktails.

The New York Times - Travel

Hinton's books were populated with a different species of wild things: Greasers and Socs; boys my age fighting with switchblades and broken bottles; abusive fathers; and dead mothers.

The New Yorker

His plays, eventually more than 40, were populated with eccentrics, outcasts and strangers who meet and suddenly reveal deeply personal stories.

The New York Times

The city's public schools, as well as private Catholic, Jewish and Greek Orthodox schools, were populated with belt-buckled students wearing vests, denim skirts and sheriff's badges.

The New York Times

While other early war movies were populated with cheery proletarian cannon fodder, Casablanca is filled with all the social misfits of the noir years: gamblers, refugees, womanising cops, thieves and a (thinly disguised) sex worker.

The Guardian - Opinion

My stories were set in exotic places I'd never visited – the Cathedral Santo Domingo de la Calzada, snow-covered Amsterdam, Osaka Bay – and they were populated with the types of people I'd never met – hackers, models, gangsters.

The Guardian - Books

Ms. Boynton's cards, on the other hand, were populated with cats, cows, hippos, ducks, sheep, dragons and various other beasts, humanized through the placement of a dot for a pupil, or a single, expressive arc for an eyelid or mouth.

The New York Times

Some of the booths were populated with chuffing and hissing pieces of manufacturing equipment — the various cutters and punchers and buffers and rinsers and bonders and layerers and vacuum suckers that were necessary to the making of screens.

The New Yorker

On a recent weekday afternoon the 16 tables were populated with only two or three users each, and the room's high noise-absorbing ceilings provided a welcome respite from the soft-rock soundtrack of the average chain coffee shop.

The Economist

The library shelves at Toren, a new condo in Brooklyn, were populated with the help of the Strand bookstore in Greenwich Village, according to the building's sales manager, Marco Auteri.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "were populated with", ensure the subject clearly identifies what is being filled or inhabited, and the object specifies the entities doing the populating. For instance, "The park was populated with families" is clearer than "The park was populated."

Common error

Ensure that the sentence structure is clear to avoid misinterpretation. For example, avoid passive constructions that obscure who or what is doing the populating; instead, specify the entities directly. Do not use "were populated with" when you mean "were visited by."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "were populated with" functions as a passive verb phrase indicating that a subject was filled or inhabited by something. According to Ludwig AI, it's grammatically correct. It typically links a location or entity with its contents or inhabitants, as seen in the example, "The city's public schools were populated with belt-buckled students."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

41%

News & Media

41%

Encyclopedias

2%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "were populated with" is a grammatically sound and versatile construction used to describe a state of being filled or inhabited. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness, noting its presence across various reliable sources. It is most commonly found in scientific and news contexts, indicating its suitability for both formal and informal communication. When using this phrase, clarity is key: ensure that the subject and object are clearly defined to avoid ambiguity. While alternatives like ""were filled with"" or ""were inhabited by"" exist, "were populated with" provides a distinct nuance suitable for describing the composition of a space or entity. Its high frequency and consistent usage in reputable sources solidify its place as a valuable tool in effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

were filled with

Emphasizes the act of filling, often implying completeness.

were inhabited by

Focuses specifically on living beings occupying a space.

were teeming with

Suggests an abundance and active presence.

were crowded with

Highlights a state of being overly full or congested.

were rife with

Implies the presence of something undesirable or problematic.

were abundant in

Stresses a plentiful amount of something.

were stocked with

Refers to a deliberate act of providing or supplying.

were thick with

Indicates a high density or concentration.

were overflowing with

Conveys a sense of excess or abundance beyond capacity.

were saturated with

Suggests a state of being completely permeated or infused.

FAQs

How can I use "were populated with" in a sentence?

Use "were populated with" to describe a place or space that contained something or someone in the past. For example, "The ancient city was populated with merchants and artisans."

What phrases are similar to "were populated with"?

Alternatives to "were populated with" include "were filled with", "were inhabited by", or "were teeming with depending on the specific context".

Is it correct to say "was populated with" instead of "were populated with"?

The correct form depends on the subject. Use "was populated with" for singular subjects and "were populated with" for plural subjects. For example, "The island was populated with unique species" versus "The islands were populated with diverse communities."

What is the difference between "were populated with" and "were covered with"?

"Were populated with" suggests that a space was inhabited or filled with distinct entities, while "were covered with" indicates that something was spread over a surface. For example, "The forest floor was covered with leaves" is different from "The forest was populated with deer and rabbits."