: a sudden sharp decline of a population of animals or plants that is not caused directly by human activity
died off; dying off; dies off
: to die sequentially either singly or in numbers so that the total number is greatly diminished
Examples of die-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
But prolonged heat stress can lead to coral die-offs, and these have occurred during the ongoing global event, including along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024
Benji Jones, Vox, 8 Oct. 2024
Plants That Won’t Survive a First Frost Date Annuals
Most annuals and tender perennials die off when Jack Frost comes around.
—Charlotte Germane, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off 
Noun
And while both impacts caused significant die-offs, hardy, sunlight-dependent microorganisms in shallow waters would have rapidly recovered after the S2 impact once the oceans filled back in and the dust settled, Drabon said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
But prolonged heat stress can lead to coral die-offs, and these have occurred during the ongoing global event, including along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
Indeed, while much of the Caribbean’s coral has died off in recent decades from bleaching and disease, the reef in Bonaire is still intact; parts of it are still thriving.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 8 Oct. 2024
Plants That Won’t Survive a First Frost Date Annuals
Most annuals and tender perennials die off when Jack Frost comes around.
—Charlotte Germane, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'die-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near die-off
Cite this Entry
“Die-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/die-off. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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