replenish

verb

re·​plen·​ish ri-ˈple-nish 

replenished; replenishing; replenishes

transitive verb

1

: to fill or build up again

replenish a supply of fuel

… London's population was continually being replenished with recruits from the countryside …

—Barbara A. Hanawalt

… most of her income will be used to replenish the family's almost-depleted savings.

—Louis Uchitelle

… the fields are rotated every three years with other crops … so that the soil can replenish itself and remain nitrogen rich.

—Eugenia Bone

Apparently, animals sleep to regulate body temperature, organize memories and replenish the immune system …

—Sandra Blakeslee

2

a

: to fill with persons or animals

… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth …

—Genesis 1:28 (Authorized Version)

b

: to fill with inspiration or power : nourish

… the American mind should cease to replenish itself with the mighty wonders of Europe …

—Van Wyck Brooks

c

archaic : to supply fully : perfect

… his hive had so long been replenished with honey …

—William Wordsworth

… the most replenished villain in the world …

—William Shakespeare

replenishable

ri-ˈple-ni-shə-bəl 

adjective

replenisher noun

replenishment

ri-ˈple-nish-mənt 

noun

Examples of replenish in a Sentence

An efficient staff of workers replenished the trays of appetizers almost as quickly as guests emptied them.

He replenished his supply of wood in preparation for the winter.

Drink this—you need to replenish your fluids after your hike.

plants that replenish soil nutrients

Recent Examples on the Web

Swain predicted some water supply issues later this year because reservoirs won’t be replenished by the snowpack that normally melts gradually and acts as a natural reservoir. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026

For the most part, the remainder of the fueling process will involve replenishing and topping off liquid oxygen fuel, but a significant chunk of the work to get more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant into the booster is done. —Charlie Gile, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026

Some flowers naturally shed their old blooms, while others self-sow, replenishing themselves without any extra effort. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026

On top of that, the smaller reservoirs along the Salt, compared to Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the country, mean they can be replenished quickly in a wet year. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English replenyssen, replenisshen "to fill, provide (with food and drink), populate," borrowed from Anglo-French repleniss-, stem of replenir "to fill, make full, refill" (also continental Old French), from re- re- + -plenir, verbal derivative of plein "full," going back to Latin plēnus — more at full entry 1

Note: In French this verb is apparently derived independently from plenir "to fill" (see plenish), which is attested later and in a very restricted geographical area. In Middle French replenir competed unsuccessfully with remplir, which effectually replaced it in Modern French.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for replenish

• heathenish

Kids Definition

replenish

verb

re·​plen·​ish ri-ˈplen-ish 

: to make full or complete once more

replenish a supply of fuel

replenisher noun

replenishment

-mənt 

noun