deplete

/dɪˈpliːt/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈpliːt/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈplēt/ (ame, mw)

deplete — verb

  • depletepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • depleteshe / she / it
  • depletedpast simple
  • depleting-ing form

1. to greatly reduce the amount of something that is available, especially resource

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to greatly reduce the amount of something that is available, especially resources such as money, fuel, or energy, by using it repeatedly or in large quantities.

例句

The long drought severely depleted the village's water reserves.

passive implication: reserves were depleted by drought

Years of war had depleted the country's gold reserves.

deplete + noun phrase: gold reserves

同義詞
  • exhaust

    Stronger than deplete; suggests using something up completely with nothing left

  • drain

    Focuses on gradual removal, often of energy or liquid resources

  • consume

    Neutral; simply means using something, not necessarily reducing it to a low level

  • use up

    Less formal; common in everyday speech for finishing a supply

反義詞
  • replenish

    To fill something up again after it has been reduced

  • restore

    To bring back to the original level or condition

文法句型

deplete + noun phrase

be depleted

用法筆記

Often used in formal or serious contexts about resources that affect many people: a nation's finances, a region's water supply, the body's energy stores. The passive form (be depleted) is very common.

常見錯誤

❌The battery depleted very quickly.
✅The battery was depleted very quickly.
💡When describing the state, use the passive form ('be depleted'), not the active intransitive.
❌I depleted my water bottle.
✅I emptied my water bottle.
💡'Deplete' is for large or serious reductions, not everyday emptying of small containers.