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depopulate

[ verb dee-pop-yuh-leyt; adjective dee-pop-yuh-lit, -leyt ]
/ verb diˈpɒp yəˌleɪt; adjective diˈpɒp yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /
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verb (used with object), de·pop·u·lat·ed, de·pop·u·lat·ing.
to remove or reduce the population of, as by destruction or expulsion.
adjective
Archaic. depopulated.
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Origin of depopulate

1525–35; <Latin dēpopulātus devastated (past participle of dēpopulārī), equivalent to dē-de- + populātus;see populate

OTHER WORDS FROM depopulate

de·pop·u·la·tion, nounde·pop·u·la·tive, adjectivede·pop·u·la·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use depopulate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for depopulate

depopulate
/ (dɪˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt) /

verb
to be or cause to be reduced in population

Derived forms of depopulate

depopulation, noun
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
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