Definition
To deplete is to empty by use — the Latin deplere, 'to un-fill', is the exact mirror of 'replete' and 'complete', which share its root plere, 'to fill'. The word is quietly mathematical: fish stocks, aquifers, savings, and stamina all deplete when the rate of taking outruns the rate of return. Nothing dramatic happens at any single moment — that is depletion's danger; each withdrawal looks exactly like the last one, except that eventually nothing stands behind it.
Examples
- Decades of overfishing have severely depleted the region's cod stocks.
- The long legal battle depleted the family's savings.
- Intensive farming left the soils depleted of nutrients.
Collocations
deplete resources·deplete reserves·severely depleted·ozone depletion·depleted soils
Synonyms
exhaust·drain·use up·consume·erode
Antonyms
replenish·restore·accumulate
Word family
depletion (noun)·depleted (adjective)
In TOEFL & IELTS
The backbone of IELTS environment essays: 'the depletion of natural resources' is practically a required phrase, and 'severely depleted fish stocks' upgrades any example. TOEFL earth-science passages rely on 'ozone depletion' and depleted aquifers. Learn it as a pair with 'replenish' — exams test the contrast — and note its opposite number on this site: accumulate.