To inhabit a place means to live in it. Animals inhabit forests, deserts, and oceans. People inhabit cities, towns, and villages. When scientists say that polar bears inhabit the Arctic, they mean that's where polar bears make their home and spend their lives.

It suggests something more permanent than just visiting. You might visit your grandmother's house for the weekend, but you inhabit your own home. A bird inhabits its nest during nesting season. Fish inhabit coral reefs. The earliest humans inhabited caves.

When a place is inhabited, it means creatures live there. An uninhabited island has no people living on it permanently. Scientists get excited when they discover life in extreme places, like the bacteria that inhabit hot springs or the creatures that inhabit the deepest parts of the ocean, because it shows how adaptable life can be.

You might also hear someone say a character inhabits a role in a play, meaning the actor fully becomes that character, living in the part so completely that you forget you're watching a performance.