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 The Russians report serious issues with manpower, depleted by Gerasimov’s endless meat assaults. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 Mission controllers were able to deploy some experiments and payloads on the lunar surface before the battery depleted entirely. Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 7 Mar. 2025 In Always On mode, the generator remains on until the battery is depleted or the power is manually turned off. PCMAG, 6 Mar. 2025 That would’ve depleted a stockpile of, say, 10,000 rockets in less than a month. David Axe, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deplete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplete
Verb
  • Chirping at opposing fans after draining 3-pointers?
    Jay King, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • But with Young draining a 3-pointer with 2:45 to play, the Hawks drew within 114-109.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Standardization can also reduce due diligence burdens.
    The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Higher temperatures may also reduce the sugar content of maple sap, meaning producers will need to collect and boil more sap to produce the same quantities of syrup.
    Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In the hospitality sector, large hotels consume significantly more energy due to extensive facilities like multiple restaurants, conference centers, and recreational areas, which drive higher energy usage and waste production.
    Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Peppermint tea is one easy way to consume peppermint.
    Julie Marks Published, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • These systems reduce manual checks, decreasing staff needed for routine tasks without replacing them entirely.
    Chris Ciabarra, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • By April 2024, fuel costs peaked for the year before starting to decrease again in May.
    Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • However, the average business spends 14 hours a week on administrative tasks like these, which is nearly three hours a day that could be spent on other important work.
    Juliana Berger, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The United States government spends $1.2 billion annually on maternity care, and American families pay more to give birth than any other nation.
    Carson Meyer, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With tennis becoming longer and more physical, best-of-five matches wreck players’ bodies, leaving them exhausted by the end of the tournament.
    Gavriella Epstein-Lightman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Do my team members feel energized or exhausted by our culture?
    Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Huge fans blow outside air across a liquid that absorbs carbon dioxide molecules.
    David Pogue, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The problem that absorbed them takes a key theme in mathematics and turns it into a concrete tool for group theorists.
    Leila Sloman, WIRED, 23 Mar. 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 5 Apr. 2025.

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