How to Use defoliate in a Sentence

defoliate

verb

• Insects are defoliating the trees.
• The sucking causes stippling of the leaf and can defoliate the plant.
  — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2022
• The stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
  — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
• The snails can defoliate large trees, consume grain crops and infect grain with a fungal pathogen.
  — William Thornton | [e-mail], al, 21 July 2022
• Oak leaf blister can defoliate and even kill oak trees.
  — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2015
• These pests can nearly defoliate a tree late in the summer, but the tree will recover fully next year.
  — oregonlive, 3 Sep. 2022
• The limes with the mechanic’s light show very little damage, but the lemons are defoliating.
  — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2018
• If a benjamina defoliates somewhat, you aren’t left with this big bald spot on your tree.
  — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2019
• Adults eat flowers and skeletonize leaves of a broad range of plants; plants may be completely defoliated.
  — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 26 Jan. 2018
• Mangrove trees were defoliated, the wind having stripped their leaves off.
  — Ari Natter, Bloomberg.com, 18 Sep. 2017
• The feeding damage of the larvae is fast — a decent infestation can defoliate a mature plant in a day or so which doesn’t give you much time to react.
  — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 19 June 2021
• The primary aim in conflict zones was to destroy crops and to defoliate forests used by enemy fighters.
  — Washington Post, 10 May 2021
• Adults skeletonize leaves, chew flowers, and may completely defoliate plants while larvae feed on lawn and garden plant roots.
  — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
• But there are so many of the voracious pests out there this spring that some trees are already being defoliated, Stafford said, and more are likely to be stripped of their leaves before the fungus can have a real impact.
  — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, 1 June 2017
• Spongy moth caterpillars are notorious for defoliating, or eating all of the leaves off of, trees.
  — Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
• Yes, Sitka spruce are being defoliated up and down the entire Oregon coast and in parts of northern California.
  — oregonlive, 27 Oct. 2019
• These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
  — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
• Their eggs hatched into spongy-moth caterpillars, which proceeded to defoliate much of New England.
  — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
• The viburnum leaf beetle is a heavy feeder that can completely defoliate viburnums.
  — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2022
• While urine has little direct impact on vegetation, some animals are attracted to the salts and may defoliate plants or dig up soil as a result.
  — Vicky Ho, Alaska Dispatch News, 20 July 2017
• If left untreated, blackspot will defoliate your rose bushes, leaving them unattractive and in a weakened condition.
  — Jefferson County Cooperative Extension, AL.com, 3 July 2017
• The plant in his hands was a Palmer amaranth descendant that had demonstrated resistance to 2,4-D, one of two active ingredients in compounds used to defoliate forests during the Vietnam War.
  — New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021
• Schirmer said the bacteria being sprayed targets the invasive gypsy moths that can defoliate trees and cause permanent damage.
  — Linda Girardi, Aurora Beacon-News, 10 May 2017
• There was a significant outbreak of the pest in Rhode Island and in large sections of eastern Connecticut starting in 2015 and even larger areas of Connecticut were defoliated last year.
  — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, 1 June 2017
• Such hardy species have been bred for generations to be less likely to defoliate when introduced to slight shifts in temperature or humidity, and to do well in home environments.
  — Heidi Mitchell, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2018
• Research continued, however, and chemists sought rapid ways to defoliate dense jungle areas.
  — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 25 May 2022
• When infestation is light, larvae will eat leaves on only a few branches; however, a heavy infestation can defoliate an entire tree in a short period of time.
  — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, 27 Oct. 2017
• Select disease-resistant varieties and examine plants carefully for insects, such as hornworms, that can defoliate a plant.
  — Pam Peirce, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Sep. 2021
• Question: My hickory tree has been defoliated by caterpillars.
  — Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 14 July 2018
• Large populations will defoliate plants seemingly overnight.
  — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 29 June 2021

Last Updated: 1 Oct 2024