verb

deplete

dih-PLEET/dɪˈpliːt/

To use up or greatly reduce a supply.

The camper depletes the water supply, shaking the last drops from the canteen.

An East Asian camper shakes the last few drops from a water canteen into a cup.

Etymology

The pieces literally suggest “un-filling”: removing what makes something full. The verb was formed from depletion and first used medically for drawing away blood or other bodily material, before broadening to reducing supplies.

In context

Epic Gardening3:18

root and shoot growth, which is going to only deplete the water from the soil faster, cause the whole plant, the whole system to use more water

5 Ways to SAVE Your Garden During a Heat Wave!

More examples

Unexpected repairs depleted our savings.
Running several apps at once quickly depletes the battery.
Repeated harvests are depleting the soil's nutrients.

Forms

deplete · depletes · depleted · depleting

depletion noun — The using up or reduction of a supply.

Similar words

exhaust: Means using a supply completely, leaving nothing available.
drain: Emphasizes drawing resources away, often steadily over time.
reduce: Means making something smaller, not necessarily using much up.