1
as in to drain
to make complete use of
miners depleted the vein of copper ore after only a few months
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
disease and battlefield casualties had depleted troop strength to dangerously low levels
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deplete
Cool nights trap these sugars, enhancing color, whereas warm nights deplete them, causing anthocyanins to fade and the leaves to lose their characteristic autumn brilliance.
—
Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025
Rasmus Ristolainen is out for at least the first month, while Cam York is now on injured reserve, too, further depleting the blue line for the first week of the season and maybe longer.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Specifically for Social Security, projections indicate that the retirement trust fund will be depleted in late 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausting their reserves by 2034.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Even those who like parts of his agenda have been stumped about how to talk him out of the stuff that terrifies them — whiplash tariffs and a labor-depleting immigration crackdown.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deplete
Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025
Rasmus Ristolainen is out for at least the first month, while Cam York is now on injured reserve, too, further depleting the blue line for the first week of the season and maybe longer.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Specifically for Social Security, projections indicate that the retirement trust fund will be depleted in late 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausting their reserves by 2034.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Even those who like parts of his agenda have been stumped about how to talk him out of the stuff that terrifies them — whiplash tariffs and a labor-depleting immigration crackdown.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplete
Verb
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So much for draining the swamp.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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Maye hit Boutte on a back-shoulder throw in Sunday’s win over the Saints that allowed the Patriots to kneel on the ball, drain the clock and emerge victorious.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now, many employers are looking to harness the power of AI—initially for mundane and repetitive tasks and eventually for more complicated jobs—to reduce the need to maintain the same level of human staffers on their payrolls.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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And drivers can reduce the risk of their cars being hit.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The term broadly refers to working out while consuming only slightly more calories than the body needs to maintain itself, and getting those calories from healthy sources.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
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These facilities consume vast amounts of energy, much of it to stay cool, a problem that optical links can help mitigate These facilities consume vast amounts of energy, much of it to stay cool.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though the number of uninsured motorist was decreasing during the 2010s, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed the trend, with some Americans, who were driving less often, dropping their insurance, USA TODAY reported.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
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In addition, the rebound numbers could decrease for Towns.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With wine pairings, expect to spend around €120 for two people.—
Emilio Parra Doiztua,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Fortune’s series, The Good Life, shows how up-and-coming leaders spend their time and money outside of work.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of gradually boiling into insanity, the film hits fever pitch hallucinations right away and quickly exhausts itself attempting to keep pace.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Vacherot won the next two points, exhausting Djokovic in a rally to get to 40-Ad.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The posts from my friends and family are still there, but they are absorbed into the flow of brain rot and advertising.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
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Cysteine's effects were noted more in the small intestine than any other part of the digestive tract, likely because the small intestine is where most protein is absorbed, the researchers noted.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Crystal Fire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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Relax by the wood-burning stove or in the bath that offers superb vistas of the water—all while keeping an eye out for wildlife, including sheep.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplete. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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