depletes; depleted; depleting
: to use most or all of (something important) : to greatly reduce the amount of (something)
Activities such as logging and mining deplete our natural resources.
We completely depleted our life savings when we bought our new house.
—often used as (be) depletedThe soil has been depleted by years of drought.
lakes and rivers that are depleted of fish
depleted soil
the country's badly depleted resources
Cite this Entry
“Deplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/deplete. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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