depopulate

verb

de·​pop·​u·​late (ˌ)dē-ˈpä-pyə-ˌlāt 

depopulated; depopulating; depopulates

transitive verb

1

obsolete : ravage

2

: to reduce greatly the population of

depopulation

(ˌ)dē-ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

Examples of depopulate in a Sentence

Large areas of the country had been depopulated by disease.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, Israel has continued its relentless attacks and is still blocking aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where roughly 400,000 Palestinians remain, all of which suggest that Israel’s ultimate goal may be to depopulate the territory. —John Spencer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

If a turkey is infected with the bird flu, the rest of the flock must be depopulated. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 25 Nov. 2024

Casualty tolerance in depopulating countries may also depend greatly on unforeseen contingent conditions—and may have surprising results. —Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

The fighting has displaced around 110,000 people in Lebanon, and about 60,000 in northern Israel, leaving both sides of the border depopulated. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin depopulatus, past participle of depopulari, from de- + populari to ravage

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

depopulate

verb

de·​pop·​u·​late (ˈ)dē-ˈpäp-yə-ˌlāt 

: to reduce greatly the population of (as a city or region) by destroying or driving away the inhabitants

depopulated by plague

depopulation

(ˌ)dē-ˌpäp-yə-ˈlā-shən 

noun