deplete

[ dih-pleet ]

/ dɪˈplit /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: deplete / depleted / depletes / depleting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing.

to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of: The fire had depleted the game in the forest. Extravagant spending soon depleted his funds.

OTHER WORDS FOR deplete

use up, drain, reduce, consume, lessen.

See synonyms for deplete on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM deplete

de·plet·a·ble, adjectivede·ple·tion, nounde·ple·tive, de·ple·to·ry

[dih-plee-tuh-ree], /dɪˈpli tə ri/, adjectivenon·de·plet·a·ble, adjective

non·de·ple·tion, nounnon·de·ple·tive, adjectivenon·de·ple·to·ry, adjectivepre·de·plete, verb (used with object), pre·de·plet·ed, pre·de·plet·ing.pre·de·ple·tion, nounun·de·plet·ed, adjective

Words nearby deplete

depilatory, depill, deplane, de plano, deplatform, deplete, depleted uranium, depletion allowance, depletion layer, depletion region, deplorable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use deplete in a sentence

For all I knew, they endured similar privation every summer, but it was hard not to suppose that the coronavirus-induced human exodus from the city had depleted their food supply.
How a sickly squirrel offered me unexpected comfort|Pam Spritzer|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
He was forced to scramble from the pocket regularly while playing behind a patchwork, injury-depleted offensive line and managed only 67 first-half passing yards.
Buccaneers defeat Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31-9, as Tom Brady claims his seventh championship|Mark Maske|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
In a second test launch from Kodiak, Alaska, in December, Astra’s rocket failed to reach Earth’s orbit after the upper stage engine depleted its fuel seconds too early, preventing the vehicle from reaching orbit velocity.
Rocket startup Astra to go public in race for commercial space|Hamza Shaban|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
We are depleted, perhaps from making so many decisions about so many things with so much to lose if we misstep.
Coronavirus is testing those of us with anxiety. We need to have mental health help available when the pandemic ends.|Sarah Vander Schaaff|January 30, 2021|Washington Post

The story takes place in a futuristic world where resources are depleted and a crew of scientists must journey to the moon to get their hands on samples from an abandoned facility.
The 15 Most Anticipated Korean Dramas of 2021|Kat Moon|January 29, 2021|Time
And now, the plan is not only to decimate public-sector unions, but all unions—to deplete the money they can spend on politics.
The Next Phase of the Koch Brothers’ War on Unions|Carl Deal and Tia Lessin|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, things like stress, illness, and environmental pollution all deplete your levels.
5 Healthier Ways to Detox (That Aren’t Juice Cleanses)|DailyBurn|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I would deplete the government—forage, as it were, on the enemy—thereby to fatten my purse.
The Onlooker, Volume 1, Part 2|Various
They affirm that to lower all rates to this "compelled" competitive level, would deplete their revenues and lead to bankruptcy.
Railroads: Rates and Regulations|William Z. Ripley
If she sends them into port she must deplete her engine-room complement and thereby gravely impair her own efficiency.
Naval Warfare|James R. Thursfield
Because to over-tire an immature faculty is to deplete its vital resources of development.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction|Arabella Kenealy
The sooner they can deplete the national treasury, the sooner can they become masters of the situation.
Monopolies and the People|D. C. Cloud

British Dictionary definitions for deplete

deplete

/ (dɪˈpliːt) /

verb (tr)

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)

Derived forms of deplete

depletable, adjectivedepletion, noundepletive or depletory, adjective

Word Origin for deplete

C19: from Latin dēplēre to empty out, from de- + plēre to fill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

deplete

OTHER WORDS FOR deplete

Origin of deplete

OTHER WORDS FROM deplete

Words nearby deplete

Words related to deplete

How to use deplete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deplete

Derived forms of deplete

Word Origin for deplete