Is the phrase "populate with" used correctly in this context?

Question

I don't know if the "populate with" in this context is wrong:

Once you select one of these entries, you’ll see the middle and bottom row populate with information.

I am unsure because I thought it should be "populated with", but I found that the article is written by an American author. So far as I know, the complete sentence should be "Once you select one of these entries, you’ll see the middle and bottom row that are populated with information."

Could anyone please help me understand if I am missing something?

Answer 1

It is grammatical. As a transitive verb, "to populate" means to fill up, fill in or supply with people or things. "I populated my aquarium with tropical fish."

This is a relatively uncommon use, particularly in the present tense. It is far more common to speak of things that have already been populated, rather than which are presently populating. The verb is also commonly used in the passive voice -- forms like "is being populated" or "was populated". The adjective "populated" derived from the past participle is also more common.