Library / English Dictionary

DEPLETE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Use up (resources or materials)

Example:

They run through 20 bottles of wine a week

Synonyms:

consume; deplete; eat; eat up; exhaust; run through; use up; wipe out

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "deplete" is one way to...):

drop; expend; spend (pay out)

Verb group:

occupy; take; use up (require (time or space))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "deplete"):

run out (exhaust the supply of)

drain (deplete of resources)

indulge; luxuriate (enjoy to excess)

burn; burn off; burn up (use up (energy))

spend (spend completely)

exhaust; play out; run down; sap; tire (deplete)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They deplete him of all his money

Derivation:

depletion (the act of decreasing something markedly)

depletion (the state of being depleted)

Credits

 Context examples: 

This agent, at low doses, is also a potent immunosuppressant primarily by depleting T-regulatory cells.

(Cyclophosphamide Anhydrous, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent inhibits phosphate-activated glutaminase, a key enzyme for the synthesis of releasable glutamine, depleting cells of this essential amino acid and reducing their capacity to proliferate.

(Diazooxonorleucine, NCI Thesaurus)

A recombinant monoclonal antibody directed against the human suppressor-cytotoxic T-cell subset and designed to deplete circulating Leu 2A-positive lymphocytes.

(Monoclonal Antibody hLEU 2A, NCI Thesaurus)

Precancerous dysplastic lesions depleted of mucin in the colonic mucosa of the mouse.

(Mucin-Depleted Foci of the Mouse Intestinal Tract, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent may also inhibit RNA synthesis and may selectively deplete CD26+ lymphocytes.

(Pentostatin, NCI Thesaurus)

The resulting complexes accumulate in hypoxic tumors, thereby depleting radioprotective thiol compounds and sensitizing tumor cells to be more susceptible for radiation treatment.

(Pimonidazole, NCI Thesaurus)

Gamma rays are very penetrating and are best stopped or shielded by dense materials, such as lead or depleted uranium.

(Gamma Radiation, NCI Thesaurus)

Reduced or depleted levels of alpha2-antiplamin can result in severe bleeding disorders.

(Fibrinolysis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Didox inhibits retrovirus replication by depleting the deoxynucleotides obligatory for synthesis of the proviral DNA intermediate of retrovirus replication.

(Didox, NCI Thesaurus)

By depleting folate molecules, epiroprim inhibits bacterial nucleic acid synthesis.

(Epiroprim, NCI Thesaurus)