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population

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noun American English pronunciation: population /ˌpɑpjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ 
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singularpopulation
pluralpopulations

Related dictionary definitions

  1. 1
    [singular] all the people who live in a particular area

    Less than 40% of the population voted in the last election.

    population of:

    the aging population of the U.S.

    1. a.
      the number of people who live in a particular area
      population of:

      Los Angeles has a population of over 3 million.

    2. b.
      [only before noun] relating to a population
      population growth:

      Better health care and agriculture have led to rapid population growth.

      a population explosion (=a sudden increase in the population):

      Pressures on natural resources will increase as we face a population explosion.

  2. 2
    [countable] [usually singular] a group of people or animals of a particular type that live somewhere

    California has a large Spanish-speaking population.

    Tanzania’s elephant population stands at about 55,000.

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