deplete
verb [transitive, usually passive, intransitive] (formal)- deplete (something)
to reduce something by a large amount so that there is not enough left; to be reduced by a large amount 大量减少;耗尽;使枯竭 Extra ExamplesIntensive fishing is depleting fish stocks in the North Sea. 密集捕捞正在耗尽北海的鱼类资源。 CFCs were widely used compounds which depleted the earth's ozone layer. 含氯氟烃是广泛使用的化合物,会耗尽地球的臭氧层。 Our cash reserves are being depleted at an alarming rate. 我们的现金储备正以惊人的速度耗尽。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- seriously
- severely
- quickly
- …
Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin deplet- ‘emptied out’, from the verb deplere, from de- (expressing reversal) + plere ‘fill’ (from plenus ‘full’).