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

On Earth, the two gases only coexist because the biosphere continuously replenishes them. —Elise Cutts, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024

But as long as Aramco is pumping oil, the financial and political clout that drives Saudi Arabia’s outsize ideas will be replenished far into the future. —Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

Oceanside’s northernmost beaches are replenished annually, usually in the spring, with sand dredged from the channel into the city’s harbor. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024

Rapid growth means that bamboo forests are quickly replenished. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

California storms deliver above-average snowpack, and replenish reservoirs. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

On average, freezers with the A.I. technology increased sales by 13 percent because they were replenished with fresh pints of ice cream, particularly the most in-demand flavors, Ms. Reynolds said. —Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

In contrast, to keep replenishing its beams, a muon collider would require synchrotrons that could cycle a blinding 400 times per second. —Byadrian Cho, science.org, 28 Mar. 2024

Some of the best hydrating ingredients to replenish moisture while keeping things balanced include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and peptides. —Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024

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

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