deplete
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to use up (supplies, money, energy, etc); reduce or exhaust
-
to empty entirely or partially
-
med to empty or reduce the fluid contents of (an organ or vessel)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deplete
1800–10; < Latin dēplētus empty (past participle of dēplēre to empty out), equivalent to dē- de- + plē ( re ) to fill + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To deplete is to use up or consume a limited resource. Visiting relatives might deplete your refrigerator of food, or a pestering friend might deplete your patience. The verb deplete is used like “to drain.” A long, exhausting day can deplete your body of energy and a summer drought can deplete a region’s water supply. If you deplete your body of hydration after a lot of exercise, be sure to replete yourself with a nice glass of water.
Vocabulary lists containing deplete
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 3
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For that reason, the landmark 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer focused on phasing out CFCs and other long-lived substances.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024
For instance, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer requires developed nations to phase down their hydrofluorocarbon production and consumption by 85% by 2036.
From Washington Times • Mar. 29, 2023
Expert intervention helped to galvanize support for the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, an aggressive phase-out that has been an enormous success.
From Scientific American • Aug. 21, 2022
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, banning chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, has now simulated our "world avoided".
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2021
Two years after that seminal British Antarctic Survey report, an agreement titled the “Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer” was ratified by nations all over the world.
From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
