deplete

[dih-pleet]

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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.

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

Related formsde·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, adjectivenon·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

Synonyms for deplete

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR deplete ON THESAURUS.COM

use up, drain, reduce, consume, lessen.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for deplete

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

Examples from the Web for deplete

Contemporary Examples of deplete

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
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

Historical Examples of deplete

We deplete the colony for what is in reality only a handful of men, while it means much to us.
Six Letters From the Colonies
Robert Seaton
To do this habitually is to so deplete the forces of the spirit that one has nothing left.
The Life Radiant
Lilian Whiting
We had to deplete our ship's company again by putting a prize-crew on board.
Barney Blake, The Boy Privateer
Herrick Johnstone
Now to deplete is to check growth by abstracting the very source of nutriment.
The Horse's Mouth
Edward Mayhew
Even the German invasion at the beginning of the war failed to deplete this stock.
The A.E.F.
Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for deplete

deplete

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 Formsdepletable, 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

Word Origin and History for deplete

1807, back-formation from depletion. Related: Depleted; depleting.

deplete in Medicine

deplete

[dĭ-plēt′]

v.

To use up something, such as a nutrient.

To empty something out, as the body of electrolytes.