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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of depleting
Bars are the clear winner of these opening matches with fans spotted dancing on tables, chanting their lungs out, and depleting establishments of all libations.
—
Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Without congressional action, the fund is now expected to begin depleting by the fourth quarter of 2032, according to a report issued Tuesday by Social Security's trustees, the body that manages the trust fund.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Environmental advocates say the demand risks depleting both Lake Michigan and rural well water supplies.
—Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
Prominent Maryland policymakers have claimed — without evidence — that data centers are depleting resources and increasing costs.
—Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Some ran from the fog, quickly depleting their last reserves of oxygen, and started to gulp lungfuls of toxic air.
—Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
The International Energy Agency, in its latest monthly update, cautioned that oil inventories globally are depleting at a record pace as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
—Justina Lee, CNBC, 18 May 2026
On the topic of coin — Cannes is not cheap, and that’s not only due to depleting supplies of jet fuel and the closed Strait of Hormuz.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 May 2026
This creates a new way to weaken an opponent over time by depleting supplies, reducing combat effectiveness, and forcing the abandonment of positions without committing large numbers of soldiers.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Without congressional action, the fund is now expected to begin depleting by the fourth quarter of 2032, according to a report issued Tuesday by Social Security's trustees, the body that manages the trust fund.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Environmental advocates say the demand risks depleting both Lake Michigan and rural well water supplies.
—Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
Prominent Maryland policymakers have claimed — without evidence — that data centers are depleting resources and increasing costs.
—Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Some ran from the fog, quickly depleting their last reserves of oxygen, and started to gulp lungfuls of toxic air.
—Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
The International Energy Agency, in its latest monthly update, cautioned that oil inventories globally are depleting at a record pace as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
—Justina Lee, CNBC, 18 May 2026
On the topic of coin — Cannes is not cheap, and that’s not only due to depleting supplies of jet fuel and the closed Strait of Hormuz.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 May 2026
This creates a new way to weaken an opponent over time by depleting supplies, reducing combat effectiveness, and forcing the abandonment of positions without committing large numbers of soldiers.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depleting
Verb
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Young people didn’t think these types of jobs paid enough money and felt the roles were often more emotionally draining than others.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
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Both handhelds sipped power during Balatro, draining the battery at around 14W and 9W, respectively.—
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Some institutions, like the University of Arizona, are intentionally lowering class sizes to improve academic performance and graduation rates, while reducing scholarship expenses and national recruitment burdens.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
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Norway's smartphone ban has already yielded results, according to some studies, including increasing students' GPAs and reducing trips to mental health professionals, particularly among female students.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Treat Infestations Sprinkling a mix of equal parts borax and sugar can help get rid of bugs like ants and roaches (they’ll be attracted to the sugar and die after consuming the borax).—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
20 June 2026
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Interest in kratom surged in the last couple of years as users have reported consuming the compound in the form of a pill, powder or tea to treat various ailments.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Others primarily improve quality of life, extend survival or delay complications without necessarily decreasing total lifetime healthcare expenditures.—
Jeffrey Wessler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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Orbán hopes the Patriots for Europe will be a vehicle for transforming the EU to his vision, for example, by decreasing the bloc’s purview in matters of rule of law and democracy, taking a zero-tolerance approach to immigration and steering toward deeper cooperation with Russia and China.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The retailer employs a team of roughly 40 to 50 personal shoppers in Paris, who work closely with top-spending clients and serve as ambassadors for the store’s designer offering.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
17 June 2026
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The department is working to approve requests for waivers that give states more flexibility for spending federal money.—
Alia Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Naval forces are increasingly looking for ways to defeat large numbers of drones without exhausting expensive missile inventories.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
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The Spurs seemed emotionally spent after exhausting all of their energy in unseating the defending champions.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made a mistake earlier that led to Mexico's goal and 1-0 lead, but Kim just kept his team down just one goal after saving a hard shot in the 71st minute by absorbing a hard shot from Raúl Jiménez to his chest and face.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
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The specialty sneakers are designed with a shock-absorbing sole to alleviate pressure and strain on your heels and joints by minimizing the impact of your steps.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The fire at a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights began burning Wednesday, hours after Bass departed for the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
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The heat has been amplified by climate change, driven by humans burning fossil fuels.—
Taylor Ward,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Depleting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depleting. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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