Dictionary.com
definitions

depopulate

[ verb dee-pop-yuh-leyt; adjective dee-pop-yuh-lit, -leyt ]
/ verb diˈpɒp yəˌleɪt; adjective diˈpɒp yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR depopulate ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

murder, annihilate, exterminate, slay, butcher, decimate, slaughter, denude, devastate, pillage, ruin, sack, despoil, plunder, devour, waste, desecrate, maraud, vandalize, desolate

Nearby words

  1. depollute,
  2. depolymerase,
  3. depolymerize,
  4. depone,
  5. deponent,
  6. depopulation,
  7. deport,
  8. deportation,
  9. deportee,
  10. deportment

Origin of depopulate

1525–35; < Latin dēpopulātus devastated (past participle of dēpopulārī), equivalent to dē- de- + populātus; see populate
Related formsde·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for depopulate

British Dictionary definitions for depopulate

depopulate

/ (dɪˈpɒpjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

to be or cause to be reduced in population
Derived Formsdepopulation, 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
Word Origin and History for depopulate

depopulate

v.

1540s; see de- + populate. Perhaps from Latin depopulatus, past participle of depopulari "to lay waste, ravage." Related: Depopulated; depopulating. Earlier in same sense was dispeplen (early 15c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper