exhausted
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See tired 1.
Etymology
Origin of exhausted
First recorded in 1660–70; exhaust ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Up too late studying? Want nothing more than to get a little bit of sleep? Sounds like you're exhausted — all of your energy has been used up. Exhausted is spent, drained, and depleted. Though you might associate the word exhausted with people, it's a word that can be used to talk about anything that's depleted. You might want to continue traveling around Europe, but if your funds are exhausted, it's time to go home. If you're trying to get in touch with the airline so you can make a reservation for your homeward-bound trip, your patience may become exhausted after being placed on hold for hours.
Vocabulary lists containing exhausted
Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Messenger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the instant of detonation, an exhausted Dickman was drifting in and out of sleep, his feet resting on luggage.
From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026
At the final whistle, the exhausted world champions fell to the turf, crushed by the heat and breathing a collective sigh of relief.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
“Ridiculous” is C.K.’s way of letting the world know, with put-on humility, that when you brush aside his Teflon-coated fame and elder statesman standing, the 58-year-old star is really just old and exhausted.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026
But during the national football team's 52-year gap between World Cups – the joint-fourth longest of any nation – patience has been exhausted and progress stalled.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
We fell into an exhausted sleep, our heads on the table.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
