replenish
Americanverb (used with object)
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replenishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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replenished,
past participle, past
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replenishing
present participle
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to make full or complete again, as by supplying what is lacking, used up, etc..
to replenish one's stock of food.
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to supply (a fire, stove, etc.) with fresh fuel.
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to fill again or anew.
verb
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to make full or complete again by supplying what has been used up or is lacking
-
to put fresh fuel on (a fire)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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replenishsimple
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replenishessimple
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have replenishedperfect
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has replenishedperfect
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am replenishingprogressive
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are replenishingprogressive
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is replenishingprogressive
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have been replenishingperfect progressive
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has been replenishingperfect progressive
Past
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replenishedsimple
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had replenishedperfect
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was replenishingprogressive
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were replenishingprogressive
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had been replenishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of replenish
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English replenisshen, from Middle French repleniss-, long stem of replenir “to fill,” Old French, equivalent to re- re- + plenir “to fill” (derivative of plein, from Latin plēnus full 1 )
Explanation
To replenish something is to refill it. If you have a pet pooch, you’re probably obligated to replenish his food bowl to avoid being barked at incessantly. Use replenish when talking about something valuable or desirable, such as money or food. For example, you might discuss replenishing your bank account, but you wouldn’t speak of replenishing a trash can. You can also use replenish in a joking way to show that something is of value to you; by noting that the jar of jellybeans on your desk needs to be replenished, you indicate that you require jellybeans to survive your day at the office. We get that.
Vocabulary lists containing replenish
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 5
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The Hobbit
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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.
See Examples For:
My husband would prefer to sell some mutual funds, take the resulting tax hit, and replenish our cash reserves that way.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
He keeps enough of his portfolio in cash to comfortably get himself through that period, and he sells stocks when he needs to replenish his cash pile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
On Wednesday, the Environment Agency, warned that the hot and dry weather meant people are "using water faster than nature can replenish it".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
These streams of cooler gas may then fall back toward the galaxy's center and replenish the black hole's fuel supply.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
For her services, Bibi received no income but was given meals, provisions, and sufficient meters of cotton at every October holiday to replenish her wardrobe at an inexpensive tailor.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
It could also test whether frequent comet activity replenishes the dust, a process studied by Steward researcher Virginie Faramaz-Gorka, who is also a co-author on the paper.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 17, 2025
In the short term, Yorkshire Water will be hoping the measures announced today will be enough to slow the fall in reservoir levels until the rain returns and replenishes supplies.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2025
The cold rejuvenates fields and orchards, mainstays of the region’s economy, and the snow replenishes freshwater streams.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
FEMA’s funding restrictions will remain in place until Congress replenishes the disaster fund by approving either a fiscal 2024 budget or special funding for FEMA.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2023
He rewards them for their kindness with a basket full of fresh bread and butter that magically replenishes itself and a hollow stone with a flame inside that never burns out.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
“Pumping more groundwater than is sustainably replenished is not only negligent, but dangerous to the American Desert Southwest,” he said in the joint statement with other opponents of the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
"I think England plays more of a favourite's role, whereas Scotland is more of an underdog, so I think it'll be a little bit different," added Brandon, who has now replenished his stocks of beer.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
All of that helped to keep physical oil supply shortages at a minimum, even as global inventories have declined and need to be replenished.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
Crew changes are needed, disrupted supply chains restarted and strategic energy reserves replenished.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Without the constant swooshing of the stasis gel being replenished, you could hear a nanochip drop.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
He said this year had seen 25 percent less snow replenishing the surface of the glaciers compared to the 2010-2020 figures.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
In a study published in Nature, the team used both human tissue and mouse models to test whether replenishing mitochondria could help damaged nerve cells recover.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
Newsom touted his administration’s investment in replenishing groundwater in the Central Valley and its efforts supporting plans to build the Sites Reservoir near Sacramento.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Countries are likely to respond by prioritizing supply diversification, investing in exploration and domestic resource development, and replenishing strategic reserves once the conflict subsides, SLB said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
Bernabe was forever throwing away the osha that turned up almost daily in his pockets, and Carolina was forever replenishing the supply, and neither of them ever mentioned the matter to the other.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
