population
noun
pop·u·la·tion
| \ ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən
\
\
Definition of population
1a
: the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region
b
: the total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole
c
: the total of particles at a particular energy level
—used especially of atoms in a laser
2
: the act or process of populating
3a
: a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in common
b(1)
: the organisms inhabiting a particular locality
(2)
: a group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins
4
: a group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement
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Other Words from population
populational
\ ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shnəl
, -shə-nᵊl \
adjective
, -shə-nᵊl \
adjective
Examples of population in a Sentence
The world's population has increased greatly.
The city has experienced an increase in population.
There has been a sharp reduction in the bat population in this region.
the rural population of America
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Recent Examples on the Web
In fact, pesticides are one of the primary drivers of the declining bee population. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "Seven simple things you can do to save the bees on National Honeybee Day," 17 Aug. 2019 Bears: The department estimates the bear population at about 40,000. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Bears, elk, sharks crown landmark wildlife surge," 17 Aug. 2019 But those acts are partially negated by contributing to a man who has made a target of a community that is the majority population of this city. — Greg Jefferson, ExpressNews.com, "Congressman Joaquin Castro talks about the tweet," 16 Aug. 2019 The natural interest rate is the one an economy organically exhibits from the combination of population increase, availability of natural resources, and productivity and efficiency improvements that technology bring. — Erik Sherman, Fortune, "Plunge in 30-Year Treasury Bonds Spells the End of America’s Golden Age, to Some," 16 Aug. 2019 Greenland sat practically dead center between the population centers of the United States and several major cities in the U.S.S.R. To Pentagon strategists, that made Greenland a valuable piece of real estate. — Author: Antonia Noori Farzan, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump reportedly wants to buy Greenland. So did the Truman administration.," 16 Aug. 2019 Gluten is also problematic for the 1% of the population that has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which gluten attacks the small intestine and can cause painful symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and weight loss. — Christina Oehler, Health.com, "Is Wine Gluten-Free? We Asked a Nutritionist," 16 Aug. 2019 Brown responded the district is trying to relieve some of the growing population in the Groves and Balmoral areas and settle those students into Elementary No. — Kaila Contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Attendance zones: Humble ISD unveils two boundary options for Elementary No. 29," 16 Aug. 2019 San Diego County also possesses large populations of undercounted groups. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Secretary of State Alex Padilla, local leaders, promote census at workshop in San Diego," 16 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'population.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for population
population
noun
English Language Learners Definition of population
: the number of people who live in a place
: a group of people or animals of a particular kind that live in a place
See the full definition for population in the English Language Learners Dictionary
population
noun
pop·u·la·tion
| \ ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən
\
\
Kids Definition of population
1
: the whole number of people living in a country, city, or area
2
: a group of people or animals living in a certain place
the deer population
population
noun
pop·u·la·tion
| \ ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən
\
\
Medical Definition of population
1
: the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region
2a
: a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in common
b(1)
: the organisms inhabiting a particular locality
(2)
: a group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins
3
: a group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement
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