de|pre|ci|ate /d I priː ʃie I t/ (depreciates , depreciating , depreciated ) VERB If something such as a currency depreciates or if something depreciates it, it loses some of its original value. □ [V ] Inflation is rising rapidly; the yuan is depreciating. □ [V n] The demand for foreign currency depreciates the real value of local currencies. □ [V + by ] During those five years, the pound depreciated by a quarter. ● de|pre|cia|tion /d I priː ʃie I ʃ ə n/ (depreciations ) N‑VAR □ …miscellaneous costs, including machinery depreciation and wages.
dep|re|da|tion /de pr I de I ʃ ə n/ (depredations ) N‑VAR The depredations of a person, animal, or force are their harmful actions, which usually involve taking or damaging something. [FORMAL ] □ Much of the region's environmental depredation is a result of poor planning.
de|press /d I pre s/ (depresses , depressing , depressed )
1 VERB If someone or something depresses you, they make you feel sad and disappointed. □ [V n] I must admit the state of the country depresses me.
2 VERB If something depresses prices, wages, or figures, it causes them to become less. □ [V n] The stronger U.S. dollar depressed sales.
de|pressed /d I pre st/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are depressed , you are sad and feel that you cannot enjoy anything, because your situation is so difficult and unpleasant. □ She's been very depressed and upset about this whole situation.
2 ADJ A depressed place or industry does not have enough business or employment to be successful. □ …legislation to encourage investment in depressed areas.
de|press|ing /d I pre s I ŋ/ ADJ Something that is depressing makes you feel sad and disappointed. □ Yesterday's unemployment figures were depressing. ● de|press|ing|ly ADV [usu ADV adj] □ It all sounded depressingly familiar to Janet.
de|pres|sion ◆◇◇ /d I pre ʃ ə n/ (depressions )
1 N‑VAR Depression is a mental state in which you are sad and feel that you cannot enjoy anything, because your situation is so difficult and unpleasant. □ Mr Thomas was suffering from depression.
2 N‑COUNT A depression is a time when there is very little economic activity, which causes a lot of unemployment and poverty. □ [+ of ] He never forgot the hardships he witnessed during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
3 N‑COUNT A depression in a surface is an area which is lower than the parts surrounding it. □ …an area pockmarked by rain-filled depressions.
4 N‑COUNT A depression is a mass of air that has a low pressure and that often causes rain. SYNONYMS depression NOUN
1
sadness: It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that I say farewell.
sorrow: It was a time of great sorrow.
unhappiness: There was a lot of unhappiness in my adolescence.
misery: All that money brought nothing but sadness and misery and tragedy.
despondency: There's a mood of gloom and despondency in the country.
2
recession: The recession caused sales to drop off.
slump: …the slump of the early 1980s.
credit crunch: The most common argument for cutting interest rates is to prevent a global credit crunch.
stagnation: …the stagnation of the steel industry.
de|pres|sive /d I pre s I v/ (depressives )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Depressive means relating to depression or to being depressed. □ He's no longer a depressive character. □ …a severe depressive disorder.
2 N‑COUNT A depressive is someone who suffers from depression.
3 → see also manic-depressive
dep|ri|va|tion /de pr I ve I ʃ ə n/ (deprivations ) N‑VAR If you suffer deprivation , you do not have or are prevented from having something that you want or need. □ Millions more suffer from serious sleep deprivation caused by long work hours.
de|prive /d I pra I v/ (deprives , depriving , deprived ) VERB If you deprive someone of something that they want or need, you take it away from them, or you prevent them from having it. □ [V n + of ] They've been deprived of the fuel necessary to heat their homes.
de|prived /d I pra I vd/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Deprived people or people from deprived areas do not have the things that people consider to be essential in life, for example acceptable living conditions or education. □ …probably the most severely deprived children in the country.
dept (depts ) in AM, use dept. Dept is used as a written abbreviation for department , usually in the name of a particular department. □ …the Internal Affairs Dept.
depth ◆◇◇ /de pθ/ (depths )
1 N‑VAR [with poss] The depth of something such as a river or hole is the distance downwards from its top surface, or between its upper and lower surfaces. □ The smaller lake ranges from five to fourteen feet in depth. □ The depth of the shaft is 520 yards. □ They were detected at depths of more than a kilometre in the sea.
2 N‑VAR [with poss] The depth of something such as a cupboard or drawer is the distance between its front surface and its back.
3 N‑VAR If an emotion is very strongly or intensely felt, you can talk about its depth . □ [+ of ] I am well aware of the depth of feeling that exists in Londonderry.