: 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
Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024
Today bleached, dead white coral is seen everywhere — a die-off due to warming, polluted waters.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Those debates may shift or die off depending on who takes or maintains control of the House, Senate and White House.
—Maria Curi, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off 
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.
Noun
My installation is one of many aimed at helping to reverse a die-off that is happening not only in the Maldives, but across the globe.
—Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024
Today bleached, dead white coral is seen everywhere — a die-off due to warming, polluted waters.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
They're already hemmed in by farmland or other development, so these iconic wetlands are getting squeezed and dying off in mass mortality events instead.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Those debates may shift or die off depending on who takes or maintains control of the House, Senate and White House.
—Maria Curi, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off
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 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share