deplete

[ dih-pleet ]
/ dɪˈplit /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR deplete 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.

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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

Words nearby deplete

depilation, depilatory, depill, deplane, de plano, deplete, depleted uranium, depletion, depletion allowance, depletion layer, depletion region
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to deplete

drain, bankrupt, lessen, reduce, expend, squander, decrease, empty, impoverish, diminish, sap, undermine, weaken, use up, draw, finish, milk, evacuate, bleed, waste

Example sentences from the Web for deplete

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

Medical definitions for deplete

deplete
[ dĭ-plēt′ ]

v.

To use up something, such as a nutrient.
To empty something out, as the body of electrolytes.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.