replenish
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
"Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to also simply pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption," Hegseth said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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
“They started thinking … ‘How can this product be more than just helping me replenish electrolytes that I’ve lost during exercise?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Chairman Timothy Williams of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe said the company’s plan “to pump and sell 25 times more groundwater each year than the aquifer can replenish would desecrate our traditional territories.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Eventually, I wrap up my food and go back to the stream to replenish my water and gather some.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
Go where life is and do what replenishes you, Father Gregory Boyle had advised when I was researching “Independence Day,” my book on retirement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
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
Crew changes are needed, disrupted supply chains restarted and strategic energy reserves replenished.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Depending on use, they might need to be replenished every three or four months.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Egg prices crossed the $6 barrier in March of last year, but they have since fallen as farmers replenished their flocks.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
After I replenished our strategically located sample thermoses with fresh tea, I refilled the plastic cups at each station.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Even when flows normalize, prices are likely to see support as depleted reserves need replenishing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
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
I immediately found myself more than occupied replenishing the guests with tea and coffee.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
