: 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
Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Those trees had suffered in the die-off before the sewage upgrade.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024
Mia Sato, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
Talk of a purchase died off relatively quickly in 2019 after rebuttal from Danish leaders, but Trump resurfaced the idea shortly after he was reelected last year.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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
The rising sea level in North Carolina is also impacting the ecosystem, with saltwater intrusion in coastal forests resulting in mass die-offs of cypress trees.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Those trees had suffered in the die-off before the sewage upgrade.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
As other communities and forums on the web have died off or been eaten by Google, Reddit has been on the up-and-up, growing its user base and turning a profit for the first time.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
Talk of a purchase died off relatively quickly in 2019 after rebuttal from Danish leaders, but Trump resurfaced the idea shortly after he was reelected last year.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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 28 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share