to repopulate

11 4.1

To fill a place again with people, animals, or plants after they disappeared

verb
/ˌriːˈpɒpjʊleɪt/

: repoblar

We're going to repopulate the oceans with billions of eels.
naturally repopulate

In her landmark research, she's working to grow new hearts by repopulating these structures with stem cells.

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Examples

JACQUES: Together we will begin to repopulate our world.

Zoe and the Astronaut (2018)
Efforts are underway to repopulate the forest with native trees after the wildfire.
We'll have to repopulate the earth.

Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Well, it's important that we allow, the human race time to repopulate.

Daybreakers (2010)
...Louis told me you need some money to repopulate the earth with your rabbits.

Kangaroo Jack (2003)
We have come here to this planet for one purpose only, to acquire breeding stock to repopulate our planet.

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965)
He tried to have so many children that he could help repopulate his people.

Stanford
We gotta repopulate the Earth, that's what we gotta do.

Feast III: The Happy Finish (2009)
I've come back in time to bring two humpback whales with me in an attempt to repopulate the species.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
To repopulate the city, Hadrian (r. 117-138) brought in new settlers, including 3,000 army veterans.

Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

to reestablish

vsto repopulate

37 4.3

To bring back something that stopped or was lost

refers specifically to bringing populations back to fill places rather than general restoration

to reintroduce

vsto repopulate

36 3.9

To bring something back after it was gone or not used

focuses on filling places again rather than simply returning items or people

to populate

vsto repopulate

25 3.7

Fill a place with people or animals

adds the idea of doing this again after disappearance or removal

to replant

vsto repopulate

14 3.3

To put a tree, flower, or seed back into the ground after moving it

applies to filling whole areas again with many organisms rather than single plants

to reseed

vsto repopulate

2 4.2

To plant seeds again to restore grass or crops

fills places with animals people or whole plants not only seeds

to reforest

vsto repopulate

1 4.4

To plant trees on land where a forest was cut down or destroyed

is broader, refilling places with various life forms not limited to trees

to recolonize

vsto repopulate

1 6.3

To bring plants or animals back to a place after it was empty

is broader, fills places with people animals or plants not only colonies

to resow

vsto repopulate

1 5.1

Plant seeds again in the same place when the first ones do not grow

fills places with living beings rather than only replacing seeds in the same spot

to reinhabit

vsto repopulate

1 7.6

To live in a place again after leaving it

fills places again with people animals or plants rather than just occupying

to revegetate

vsto repopulate

Specialized

1 6.8

To make bare land grow plants again

includes animals and people too rather than only restoring plant cover

Antonyms

to depopulate

3 7.4

To reduce the number of people living in a place until few or none remain

How Populated

to recolonize

1 6.3

to repopulate

11 4.1

to reintroduce

36 3.9

to seed

24 5.6

to introduce

648 2.1

Surface Forms

repopulate infinitive

repopulated past

repopulated past participle

repopulating present participle

repopulates third person singular

Morphology

repopulate = populate (transparent) = re + populate

This is a regular and readily interpretable case of 're-' meaning 'again' added to 'populate'.

Etymology

The word repopulate starts with re- meaning 'again' and uses populate, from a word for 'people' you can see in population. So, to repopulate is to 'fill' a place with people, animals, or plants again.