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

The area that now makes up western Ukraine was so thoroughly depopulated of Poles by the end of World War II that the Soviet Union decided to redraw the map of Eastern Europe, moving Ukraine and Poland westward at Germany’s expense to create the three modern borders. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2026

The novel follows the life of Dylan, the daughter of a researcher, cast adrift on an earth that has been depopulated by war and environmental collapse. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

Much of Lebanon’s south – a largely Shiite-Muslim area with a strong Hezbollah presence – had already been left damaged and depopulated after more than two years of war with Israel. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026

Much of southern Lebanon has been both devastated by military strikes and depopulated. — Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for depopulate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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