1
as in draining
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 reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
disease and battlefield casualties had depleted troop strength to dangerously low levels
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Recent Examples of depleting
That there are ways of getting outside yourself that enrich you rather than depleting you.
—
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
Research suggests that avid sports bettors are at risk of depleting their household savings, declaring bankruptcy, and even committing intimate-partner violence.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Child psychiatrist and Yale School of Medicine professor Yann Poncin previously told USA TODAY that over time, technology exposure rewires the brain to expect instant gratification, depleting the brain’s cognitive patience and threshold for tolerating frustration in the process.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
In October, strikers Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Hobinger sustained anterior cruciate ligament injuries within weeks of each other, depleting an already shallow front line.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Cyborgs and Centaurs demonstrate that humans can work effectively with AI while building, rather than depleting, their expertise.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
His doctors performed surgery followed by rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, depleting his body.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
The Yankees have also seen a number of relievers depart, further depleting a unit that already needed a lot of work.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
The company is effectively depleting its pandemic-era cash reserves to finance development initiatives.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
Research suggests that avid sports bettors are at risk of depleting their household savings, declaring bankruptcy, and even committing intimate-partner violence.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Child psychiatrist and Yale School of Medicine professor Yann Poncin previously told USA TODAY that over time, technology exposure rewires the brain to expect instant gratification, depleting the brain’s cognitive patience and threshold for tolerating frustration in the process.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
In October, strikers Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Hobinger sustained anterior cruciate ligament injuries within weeks of each other, depleting an already shallow front line.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Cyborgs and Centaurs demonstrate that humans can work effectively with AI while building, rather than depleting, their expertise.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
His doctors performed surgery followed by rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, depleting his body.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
The Yankees have also seen a number of relievers depart, further depleting a unit that already needed a lot of work.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
The company is effectively depleting its pandemic-era cash reserves to finance development initiatives.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depleting
Verb
-
To prevent this from happening again, repot the peace lily in fresh soil that is well-draining.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Wembanyama made a 3-pointer, but Raptors star Barnes ended it by draining his only shot of the game.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In addition to the effects of the pandemic and tariffs, climate issues — drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia, and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing yields of coffee crops and driving up global prices.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fiber intake, in particular, showed a strong association with longevity, while consuming lots of sugary beverages was linked to higher all-cause mortality.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
-
What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.—
Emily Hemendinger,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The bill prohibits cities and counties from decreasing funding for public safety, which representatives from the local governments say isn’t possible.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The goal is to minimize traffic spillover onto surrounding streets while providing more reliable travel times for people in cars and freight trucks and decreasing travel times for buses.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The fiscal angst is most obvious in urban school districts, where enrollment declines are most severe and where unions are the strongest, often spending heavily to elect friendly school board members.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Pritzker’s $56 billion election-year budget plan represents one of the smallest increases in state spending the governor has proposed since the governor took office in 2019.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The selling pressure appears to be exhausting itself, setting the stage for a classic snap-back rally.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
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Still, investors in tech giants are growing nervous because these firms are essentially exhausting their available capital to fund the infrastructure buildout, according to Luria.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Legacy software companies, not workers, are absorbing the real shock.—
David Stout,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
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For a man who spent years absorbing hits from some of the biggest, fastest athletes on the planet in the NFL, comparing bobsledding to being back on the football field speaks volumes about the forces involved in the sport.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coal ash is the residue left over from burning coal, typically produced at power plants.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
17 Feb. 2026
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People mostly hibernate in their wood-and-tin houses, burning firewood to brave the freezing cold.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Depleting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depleting. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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