: 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
Evan Bush, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
In 1983, Lessios witnessed a mass die-off in sea urchins in the Caribbean that wreaked havoc on the local ecosystem.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Depending on their environment, those cells can either die off, which leads to gray hair, or survive and multiply in ways that could trigger melanoma, according to a university press release.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for die-off
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Noun
Although that conclusion remains a subject of debate, the die-off of elkhorn and staghorn corals in Florida could bolster the argument.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
In 1983, Lessios witnessed a mass die-off in sea urchins in the Caribbean that wreaked havoc on the local ecosystem.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Climate projections suggest severe bleaching will occur every year by 2040 and, as oceans continue to warm, other coral species are likely to die off, too.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Depending on their environment, those cells can either die off, which leads to gray hair, or survive and multiply in ways that could trigger melanoma, according to a university press release.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for die-off
Cite this Entry
“Die-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/die-off. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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