: 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
David Axe, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
The world’s coral populations have shrunk by 50% since the 1950s, and global emissions reductions are required to prevent more die-offs—but in the more immediate term, conservation scientists see possibility in super corals to help maintain these rich ecosystems.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2024
Denise Chow, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2024
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
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Noun
To set conditions for a kind of victory, Ukraine should prolong the great Russian die-off.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
The world’s coral populations have shrunk by 50% since the 1950s, and global emissions reductions are required to prevent more die-offs—but in the more immediate term, conservation scientists see possibility in super corals to help maintain these rich ecosystems.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
Schilling, a local horticulturalist who runs a landscaping company and owns a garden shop called Mojave Bloom Nursery, saved this African sumac decades ago after an unusually frosty winter caused its branches to freeze and die off.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2024
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
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 15 Dec. 2024.
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