replenished; replenishing; replenishes

transitive verb

1
: to fill or build up again
replenish a supply of fuel
… London's population was continually being replenished with recruits from the countryside … Barbara A. Hanawalt
… most of her income will be used to replenish the family's almost-depleted savings. Louis Uchitelle
… the fields are rotated every three years with other crops … so that the soil can replenish itself and remain nitrogen rich. Eugenia Bone
Apparently, animals sleep to regulate body temperature, organize memories and replenish the immune system … Sandra Blakeslee
2
a
: to fill with persons or animals
… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth Genesis 1:28 (Authorized Version)
b
: to fill with inspiration or power : nourish
… the American mind should cease to replenish itself with the mighty wonders of Europe … Van Wyck Brooks
c
archaic : to supply fully : perfect
… his hive had so long been replenished with honey … William Wordsworth
… the most replenished villain in the world … William Shakespeare
replenisher noun

Examples of replenish in a Sentence

An efficient staff of workers replenished the trays of appetizers almost as quickly as guests emptied them. He replenished his supply of wood in preparation for the winter. Drink this—you need to replenish your fluids after your hike. plants that replenish soil nutrients
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rebalancing And Flexibility As retirees spend down the cash bucket, gains from the growth bucket, such as appreciated stocks, can be sold during strong markets to replenish cash reserves. Wes Moss, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025 Saltwater incursion can occur when there is too much pumping from freshwater aquifers in the ground that are not replenishing at a fast enough rate, perhaps because of increasing instances of drought. Ron Lieber, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025 But with only a few spots to fill in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans shouldn’t have any trouble replenishing depth. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025 However, this did not translate into a significant price increase, as some had hoped; it was revealed that the strategic reserve would be replenished solely with bitcoin obtained in criminal and civil forfeiture cases, rather than the government purchasing large quantities of the cryptocurrency. David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for replenish

Word History

Etymology

Middle English replenyssen, replenisshen "to fill, provide (with food and drink), populate," borrowed from Anglo-French repleniss-, stem of replenir "to fill, make full, refill" (also continental Old French), from re- re- + -plenir, verbal derivative of plein "full," going back to Latin plēnus — more at full entry 1

Note: In French this verb is apparently derived independently from plenir "to fill" (see plenish), which is attested later and in a very restricted geographical area. In Middle French replenir competed unsuccessfully with remplir, which effectually replaced it in Modern French.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of replenish was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Replenish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/replenish. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

replenish

verb
: to make full or complete once more
replenish a supply of fuel
replenisher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on replenish

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