deplete
Definitions
To use up or greatly reduce the amount of something, especially a resource.
耗尽，大量消耗（尤指资源）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedde- (away, down) + plete (fill, from plēre) = literally 'to un-fill,' to drain back out. It is the mirror image of complete: instead of filling the vessel, you empty it. So depleted soil, depleted savings, and a depleted team are all containers that have been run down to little or nothing.
Root ple still carries 42 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.deplete resources耗尽资源
- 2.deplete reserves消耗储备
- 3.deplete energy耗尽精力
- 4.deplete stocks消耗库存
Example Sentences
- 1.
Years of intensive farming have depleted the soil.
- 2.
The long illness completely depleted her savings.
- 3.
Fish stocks in the area have been seriously depleted.
Synonym Comparison
- deplete — drain a finite supply down toward empty: deplete reserves
- exhaust — use up completely, leaving nothing: exhaust all options
- drain — pull out steadily, often of energy/money: drain the budget
- consume — use up by taking in: consume fuel
- diminish — make smaller in degree (not necessarily a supply): diminish hopes