deplete

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deplete distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of deplete are bankrupt, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

When is bankrupt a more appropriate choice than deplete?

Although the words bankrupt and deplete have much in common, bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When is it sensible to use drain instead of deplete?

The synonyms drain and deplete are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When can exhaust be used instead of deplete?

In some situations, the words exhaust and deplete are roughly equivalent. However, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

In what contexts can impoverish take the place of deplete?

While in some cases nearly identical to deplete, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deplete When Israel depleted its supplies, the U.S. had to step in, firing a year’s production run of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missiles to intercept Iran’s projectiles. Nabih Bulos foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025 Most ladybugs sold are harvested by vacuum from wild populations, usually many states away, depleting their numbers. Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2025 That would be on top of HUD staffing cuts and resignations that have depleted the agency under Trump. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 4 July 2025 The support was promised under the Biden administration, part of a stream of weapons that have flowed to Kyiv since Moscow launched its invasion, but a Pentagon review found that US reserves were depleting. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for deplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplete
Verb
  • Be sure to rinse and drain them before using to remove excess starch and salt.
    Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
  • The city avoided building a water filtration plant, which would have lost more than $8 billion, by investing $1.5 billion into forests surrounding New York City's Catskill, Delaware, and Croton reservoirs that drain into their water supply systems.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • This, together with a higher standard deduction, reduced the number of taxpayers who itemize deductions.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Choose looser fits that reduce the pressure on your hair follicles.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • There’s no way around it—many of us consume far too much sugar.
    Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 14 July 2025
  • The civil penalties can consume the entire balance of an account, so be careful.
    Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Following Monday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 220 shares of GS, decreasing its weighting to about 4.35% from about 4.75%.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 7 July 2025
  • Revenue has remained relatively stagnant, decreasing slightly from $153 million to $152 million over the past year.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Verb
  • On July 12, 2015, Tiffany spent the day with her family.
    Alex Gurley, People.com, 12 July 2025
  • The squad have spent the past week in nearby New York City, holed up in a hotel on affluent Fifth Avenue but occasionally allowed out to explore Manhattan between training sessions.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • While others exhaust themselves and their budgets staying open for ghosts and insomniacs, smart operators perfect their performance when the audience is there.
    Elie Y. Katz, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • According to a report released by Social Security trustees last month, once the trust fund is exhausted, payroll taxes would only be sufficient to cover about 77 percent of scheduled benefits.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Three varieties dominate here—senia, bomba and albufera—each with slightly different qualities, but all are notable for their ability to absorb double or triple their volume in liquid.
    Sofia Perez, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • But because krill oil is absorbed better, less of it is needed to see results.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Deplete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplete. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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