depopulate

[ verb dee-pop-yuh-leyt; adjective dee-pop-yuh-lit, -leyt ]
/ verb diˈpɒp yəˌleɪt; adjective diˈpɒp yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /
SEE 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.

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"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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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

Words nearby depopulate

depollute, depolymerase, depolymerize, depone, deponent, depopulate, deport, deportation, deportee, deportment, deposal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to depopulate

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

Example sentences from the Web for depopulate

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