replenish

verb

re·plen·ish ri-ˈple-nish

replenished; replenishing; replenishes

Synonyms of replenish next

transitive verb

: 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

: to fill with persons or animals

… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth—

Genesis 1:28 (Authorized Version)

: to fill with inspiration or power : nourish

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

Van Wyck Brooks

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 In October, a pledging conference to replenish the U.N.’s Green Climate Fund raised only $9.3 billion, even less than the $10 billion that countries had promised last time. —

E&e News, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023 In time, once the resource has had time to replenish, the rahui is lifted. —

Tiare Tuuhia, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023 Shells removed from South Korea for Ukraine will require years to replenish. —

Nr Editors, National Review, 3 Nov. 2023 Customer cars will also offer 150 kW charging ability, allowing for replenishing from 10 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes. —

Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2023 More than twice the amount of water is removed than is naturally replenished each year, and as the levels of freshwater drop, salty water from the Mediterranean has seeped in. —

Laura Paddison, CNN, 24 Oct. 2023 The other half, the $30 billion of the $60 billion really goes to replenishing and modernizing our stockpiles, our military stockpiles. —

ABC News, 22 Oct. 2023 But after a series of winter atmospheric rivers that showered the Golden State with rain and replenished a depleted snowpack, much of the state exited its drought. —

Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 Contingency funds have to be replenished, which would be the purpose of reprogramming the $20.6 million of ERAP funds to the rapid rehousing program, White said. —

Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'replenish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of replenish was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century