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tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes 1. To consume or reduce to a very low amount; use up: drought that depleted the stores of grain. 2. To remove the contents or important elements of; empty out or exhaust: overfishing that depleted the lake of trout; farming practices that depleted the soil of nutrients. [Latin dēplēre, dēplēt-, to empty : dē-, de- + plēre, to fill; see pelə-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] de·pleta·ble adj. Synonyms: deplete, drain, exhaust, sap1 These verbs mean to use up something important that is hard to replace. Deplete refers to gradually consuming something essential: Medical bills quickly depleted our savings. To drain is to draw down a resource or supply to a critical level: War often drains a nation's economy. Exhaust stresses depletion to a point of emptiness or uselessness: "The Depression had exhausted the capacity of private charities and state and local governments to cope with the needs of millions of unemployed Americans" (Patrick Maney). Sap suggests a slow loss of something vital: "The [ivory] trade certainly sapped labor from farming and disrupted village life" (Eric Scigliano). |
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