depopulate

verb

de·​pop·​u·​late (ˌ)dē-ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

depopulated; depopulating; depopulates

transitive verb

1

obsolete : ravage

2

: to reduce greatly the population of

depopulation

(ˌ)dē-ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

Examples of depopulate in a Sentence

Large areas of the country had been depopulated by disease.

Recent Examples on the Web

Both sides of the seventy-five-mile-wide frontier have been largely depopulated, except for soldiers. —Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024

The three workers were working to depopulate chickens at an egg-laying facility experiencing an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, which has been circulating in wild birds and has caused multi-state outbreaks in dairy cows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 13 July 2024

The goal was depopulating crowded prisons and addressing social-justice concerns. —Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 1 July 2024

But the depopulating East Side needs more than just new construction and faster internet. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin depopulatus, past participle of depopulari, from de- + populari to ravage

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

depopulate

verb

de·​pop·​u·​late (ˈ)dē-ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt 

: to reduce greatly the population of (as a city or region) by destroying or driving away the inhabitants

depopulated by plague

depopulation

(ˌ)dē-ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən 

noun