deplete

American  

[dih-pleet] / dɪˈplit /

verb (used with object)

• depletes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• depleted,
  past participle,  past
• depleting
  present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   lessen, consume, reduce, drain

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deplete British  

/ dɪˈpliːt /

verb

1. to use up (supplies, money, energy, etc); reduce or exhaust

2. to empty entirely or partially

3. med to empty or reduce the fluid contents of (an organ or vessel)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• depletion
  noun
• nondepletion
  noun
• predepletion
  noun
• predeplete
  verb (used with object)
• depletable
  adjective
• depletive
  adjective
• depletory
  adjective
• nondepletable
  adjective
• nondepletive
  adjective
• nondepletory
  adjective
• undepleted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• depleting
  present
• depleted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• deplete
  simple
• depletes
  simple
• have depleted
  perfect
• has depleted
  perfect
• am depleting
  progressive
• are depleting
  progressive
• is depleting
  progressive
• have been depleting
  perfect progressive
• has been depleting
  perfect progressive

Past

• depleted
  simple
• had depleted
  perfect
• was depleting
  progressive
• were depleting
  progressive
• had been depleting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will deplete
  simple
• will have depleted
  perfect
• will be depleting
  progressive
• will have been depleting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Explanation

To deplete is to use up or consume a limited resource. Visiting relatives might deplete your refrigerator of food, or a pestering friend might deplete your patience. The verb deplete is used like “to drain.” A long, exhausting day can deplete your body of energy and a summer drought can deplete a region’s water supply. If you deplete your body of hydration after a lot of exercise, be sure to replete yourself with a nice glass of water.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deplete depletes depleted depleting

Before the experiment, the mice received a cocktail of antibiotics for two weeks to deplete their gut microbiome.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

And even if that fact might make you depressed, scrolling will deplete one’s cynicism until it’s replaced by another attention-grabbing post.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

If approved by shareholders, the deal would be the latest in a line of acquisitions to deplete the number of listed businesses on the London Stock Exchange.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

If your biggest fear now is that something bad could still happen to deplete your funds before you die, maybe it is time to conquer that one too, because the math is on your side.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

They marched through the work of the store as if they wanted to deplete themselves of every last bit of energy.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

"Dry weather depletes our water, and hot weather means we use more of it," they added.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The caregiving burden this puts on younger generations results in a quiet shadow job, experts say — one that gets absorbed into their lives and depletes them physically, mentally and financially.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

The leak also depletes the source for a chemical reaction, which is generating heat that, in turn, accelerates the reaction in a process called “thermal runaway.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

If the conflict drags on and depletes critical materials stockpiles, the industry could face significant cost pressures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

“Jonas can see beyond, Gabe. He can see to another place. But he has to work very hard at it. It depletes him.”

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

Air Force and Navy depleted a stunningly high percentage of the country’s most vital munitions—including more than half of its cruise missiles and high-tech air-defense weapons.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

Someone facing crisis-level stress has the most to gain from travel’s resilience-building effect, Mulcahy says, but even those depleted by moderate work pressure or family strain can benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Soil is like a type of reservoir - those stores are depleted by thirsty trees and plants, and evaporation during hot temperatures.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

And in the last quarter-century, relentless drought intensified by climate change has sapped the river’s flow and left its reservoirs severely depleted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The blessing of Mars faded, leaving him depleted.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

According to the researchers, the results change the central question from "whether the gas is depleting" to "why it is increasingly difficult to form stars despite abundant neutral hydrogen reserves."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

"Now we don't get as much as before," she said, blaming destructive fishing methods, particularly the use of lights at sea, for the depleting stocks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

One is the new 'overtake' mode, the other is the way the 2026 engines work, almost completely depleting and recharging batteries several times a lap.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Only then, when a small surplus is forecast, can energy inventories that are rapidly depleting be restocked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Because of the peculiar status of the Fox Brothers baggage stock—whose numbers have been depleting all afternoon—I’ve seen for myself that they were fed and watered.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• bankrupt
• decrease
• diminish
• drain
• empty
• expend
• impoverish
• lessen
• reduce
• sap
• squander
• undermine
• use up
• weaken