deplete
To use something up until very little is left.
deplete in a sentence
- If we keep eating the biscuits this fast, we will deplete the whole tin before teatime.
- A long hot summer can deplete the reservoir until the water level drops worryingly low.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to deplete?
- Adrain
- Bincrease
- Crefill
- Drestock
Show the answer
A: drain. The other three mean the opposite of deplete.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to deplete?
- Adrain
- Brefill
- Cempty
- Dreduce
Show the answer
B: refill. The other three mean nearly the same as deplete.
Words that mean something similar
drain, empty, reduce
Words that mean the opposite
refill, restock, increase
More words about size & amount
- destitute: Having no money and none of the things you need to live.
- diluted: Made weaker or thinner by adding water or another liquid.
- dwindle: To become smaller or fewer, little by little.
- economical: Careful not to waste money, time or materials.
- enormous: Extremely large.
- estimate: To work out roughly how much or how many, without counting exactly.
- extraordinary: So unusual or amazing that it is far beyond normal.
- fragment: A small piece that has broken off something.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test