1
as in draining
to make complete use of
miners depleted the vein of copper ore after only a few months
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
disease and battlefield casualties had depleted troop strength to dangerously low levels
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of depleting
Republican leaders won’t be able to count on much support from Democrats — or even from some of their GOP colleagues, who see a gas tax holiday as depleting money for highway projects.
—
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
This creates a new way to weaken an opponent over time by depleting supplies, reducing combat effectiveness, and forcing the abandonment of positions without committing large numbers of soldiers.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
But oil inventories are depleting at a record pace due to the mounting supply loss from the closure of Hormuz.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 13 May 2026
Still, some state lawmakers are hesitant to waive their gas taxes due to concerns about depleting the funds needed to maintain roads.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Officials warn the current drought is depleting lake levels earlier than the historic 2006-2009 drought, before the summer surge in water demand.
—Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
This way, the industry has created a massive environmental footprint by depleting these resources, and the researchers are racing to erase it.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
But critics question whether Fermi is all hat and no cattle with no customers, no revenue and a rapidly depleting bank account.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
But in this day and age of college football, with name, image and likeness deals keeping kids in college and depleting draft classes … are there really any reaches outside of the first 20 picks?
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
This creates a new way to weaken an opponent over time by depleting supplies, reducing combat effectiveness, and forcing the abandonment of positions without committing large numbers of soldiers.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
But oil inventories are depleting at a record pace due to the mounting supply loss from the closure of Hormuz.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 13 May 2026
Still, some state lawmakers are hesitant to waive their gas taxes due to concerns about depleting the funds needed to maintain roads.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Officials warn the current drought is depleting lake levels earlier than the historic 2006-2009 drought, before the summer surge in water demand.
—Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
This way, the industry has created a massive environmental footprint by depleting these resources, and the researchers are racing to erase it.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
But critics question whether Fermi is all hat and no cattle with no customers, no revenue and a rapidly depleting bank account.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
But in this day and age of college football, with name, image and likeness deals keeping kids in college and depleting draft classes … are there really any reaches outside of the first 20 picks?
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depleting
Verb
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Plant the cutting in well-draining soil in a 12-inch tall pot that’s about 6 inches wide so the roots have plenty of room to grow.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
More turbulent water draining from the desert via seasonal drainage channels called wadis might have brought others.—
Geoff Emberling,
The Conversation,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Eco effort The Pig group’s 25-mile menu keeps suppliers local, reducing food miles and packaging in the process.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Its document generation tools guide founders through complex legal processes step by step, reducing errors and ensuring completeness.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, cleaning a mattress isn't hard to do or very time consuming.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Public health agencies have launched multilingual warnings, including radio ads, flyers, and PSAs in several languages, urging residents to avoid consuming wild mushrooms.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
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As chairman, Cassidy has had several clashes with the White House over confirmations, including for Kennedy due to his support for decreasing the number of vaccines children receive.—
Gabrielle M. Etzel,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2026
-
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced an overall 4% decrease, and unsheltered homelessness decreasing by 22% since the 2024 count.—
Robin Epley,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The Republican primary has been one of the most expensive in recent history, with both sides spending freely on attack ads.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
Cherry Creek’s policy prohibits employees from spending district money on alcohol.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
-
Martinez on Thursday did not discuss details of the plan but said the city was exhausting all its options while seeking more ways to cut costs.—
Abby Church,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The cells use perovskite, a material known for absorbing sunlight efficiently at lower production costs than silicon.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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Getting covers and shades for windows is another way to keep heat from absorbing into your home, the federal energy agency said.—
Hali Smith,
Idaho Statesman,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Heard whole, the Barber-Menotti product is as gloriously over the top as anything that Bette Davis ever made with William Wyler—and Heartbeat’s reduction of it to its burning cinders is as just as effective as Glyndebourne’s grandly eloquent take.—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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In the northernmost part of Delaware, coal-burning steam locomotives still chug along historic rails, pulling travelers in antique passenger coaches.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Depleting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depleting. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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