Exhaustible means capable of being used up or depleted. When something is exhaustible, it has a limited supply that can run out completely if you keep using it.

Natural resources like coal, oil, and natural gas are exhaustible: once we've burned through Earth's supply, there won't be any more. That's why scientists distinguish between exhaustible resources (like fossil fuels) and renewable resources (like solar energy or wind power), which are naturally replaced over time.

Your patience can feel exhaustible too. After explaining the same math problem to your younger sibling for the fifth time, you might say your patience is nearly exhausted. A battery has exhaustible power. A bag of Halloween candy represents an exhaustible supply, especially if you have siblings.

When you exhaust your energy running laps, you've used up what you had available. Something exhaustible is anything that can be exhausted. The opposite would be inexhaustible: something that never runs out, like the sun's energy or a parent's love.