depreciate
verb
de·pre·ci·ate
di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt 
depreciated; depreciating
1
: to lower in honor or esteem
often depreciates the importance of her work
2
a
: to lower the price or estimated value of
depreciate property
b
: to deduct from taxable income a portion of the original cost of (a business asset) over several years as the value of the asset decreases
: to fall in value
advised us to sell the stock before it depreciates
Examples of depreciate in a Sentence
These changes have greatly depreciated the value of the house.
The value of the house has depreciated greatly.
Recent Examples on the Web
Like cars, smartphones depreciate rapidly and the pre-order period is when the device is at its most expensive.
—
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The Turkish lira depreciated almost 13% against the greenback since the start of the year.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 July 2025
The home’s value has appreciated significantly, but our relationship has depreciated significantly.
—Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
How popular car models depreciate over time Kelley Blue Book provided us with the same data points: the average MSRP compared with KBB fair price today for a number of popular 2023 models.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for depreciate
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.
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The Turkish lira depreciated almost 13% against the greenback since the start of the year.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 July 2025
The home’s value has appreciated significantly, but our relationship has depreciated significantly.
—Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
How popular car models depreciate over time Kelley Blue Book provided us with the same data points: the average MSRP compared with KBB fair price today for a number of popular 2023 models.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for depreciate
Cite this Entry
“Depreciate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depreciate. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
depreciate
verb
de·pre·ci·ate
di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt
depreciated; depreciating
1
: to lower the price or value of
depreciate the currency
2
: to represent as of little value : disparage
3
: to fall in value
new cars depreciate rapidly
depreciative
adjective
-ˈprē-shət-iv
-shē-ˌāt-iv
Legal Definition
depreciate
verb
de·pre·ci·ate
di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt
depreciated; depreciating
: to subject to depreciation : lower the value of
: to fall in value compare appreciate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share