deplete

de·plete | \ di-ˈplēt

depleted; depleting

Definition of deplete

1 : to empty of a principal substance The lake was depleted of water. depleting the country of its natural resources

2 : to lessen markedly in quantity, content, power, or value deplete our life savings their depleted resources

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Choose the Right Synonym for deplete

deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, bankrupt mean to deprive of something essential to existence or potency. deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. depleting our natural resources drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence. personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit exhaust stresses a complete emptying. her lecture exhausted the subject impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness. impoverished soil bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse. war had bankrupted the nation of resources

Examples of deplete in a Sentence

Activities such as logging and mining deplete our natural resources. We completely depleted our life savings when we bought our new house.

Recent Examples on the Web Because of this and other combinations of factors, the Bipartisan Policy Center now estimates the aforementioned trust fund will be depleted in 2029 – six years sooner. — Nathan Bachrach And Amy Wagner, Cincinnati.com, "Simply Money: How COVID-19 could impact Social Security," 27 May 2020 Barely a month into the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, nearly two rounds of funding have been depleted. — Anne Sraders, Fortune, "Goldman Sachs doubts there will be a Round 3 of PPP loans for small businesses," 5 May 2020 The program officially launched this week, but due to the overwhelming need, supplies have been depleted. — Sonia Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Rebuilding Together Houston improving indoor air quality for families," 30 Apr. 2020 The initial round of funding for the program was depleted in just two weeks. — Christopher Harress | Charress@al.com, al, "No loans? Alabama businesses blame SBA and banks; new $484 billion relief law signed," 24 Apr. 2020 Forcing insurers to pay hundreds of billions of dollars a month could quickly deplete the $800 billion set aside to cover future home, auto and other losses, according to the insurance association. — Michael Tarm, Anchorage Daily News, "Legal battles loom across the U.S. as businesses hit by pandemic shutdown sue insurers," 23 Apr. 2020 Forcing insurers to pay hundreds of billions of dollars a month could quickly deplete the $800 billion set aside to cover future home, auto, and other losses, according to the insurance association. — Michael Tarm, The Christian Science Monitor, "Should insurance cover business losses during a pandemic?," 23 Apr. 2020 Yet the United States has successfully depleted the supply of machine guns, as well as the ease and attractiveness of their use by criminals, with exactly these measures: a gun database and a thoroughgoing application process. — Adam Weinstein, The New Republic, "Should Las Vegas’s machine-gun rental industry be the future liberals want for assault weapons?," 20 Apr. 2020 Gold executives must reinvest constantly just to sustain production—the average gold deposit is smaller and more rapidly depleted than many other ores. — The Economist, "Golden retrievers Gold companies try to restore their sparkle," 8 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deplete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.