1
as in to droop
to be limp from lack of water or vigor
the plants wilted after I forgot to water them for three whole days
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
she had wilted a bit after walking around the hot and humid city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dry
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
after six solid hours of painting, his energy was starting to wilt
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wilt
Rotten flowers sit wilting in a vase, the fireplace is lit, and clothes are strewn around.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Or, that of the athlete who kicks butt in the regular season, only to wilt in the playoffs.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 18 Feb. 2026
The shrubs wilted, though Tammy watered them often.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
Freezing weather may cause bulb foliage to wilt and die back.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wilt
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Or, that of the athlete who kicks butt in the regular season, only to wilt in the playoffs.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 18 Feb. 2026
The shrubs wilted, though Tammy watered them often.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
Freezing weather may cause bulb foliage to wilt and die back.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilt
Verb
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Beneath it, a man squatted on the pavement, staring at nothing in particular, a glass pipe drooping from his fingers.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Mushy brown, black, or yellow leaves, soggy soil that’s smelly, and drooping all point to too much water.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Three days later, Litmus Test faded to third place in his first start of the year, the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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What sympathy there may have been for a cornered, bruised Iranian regime among its neighbors has faded in the face of Tehran’s escalation.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The duo spoke with The Hollywood Reporter right as the ink dried on the merger agreement.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
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Prevent rust by drying fixtures, avoiding scratches, and keeping the bathroom well-ventilated.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tony, the resident sloth who was reliably hanging upside-down from the telephone wires above the entrance to the camp.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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Millions of Monarchs hang from the trees like frostbitten leaves the underside of their wings exposed, burnished, and bronzed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Although weakened, the factions still survive, and could form a powerful, transnational and motivated insurgency when the time comes to fight whatever emerges if the Islamic Republic falls.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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Several bills that had been filed in the state Senate and House of Representatives, which critics have warned would weaken reporting and training standards for the Department of Child and Family Services, have been put on hold, according to state officials.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Colombia’s storied Medellin cartel was another mob that withered after Pablo Escobar met his demise in 1993.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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Those structures effectively do not get a blood supply and wither away.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There can be sagging along the lower face or the development of jowls.—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
6 Mar. 2026
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In fall 2023, the company laid off an undisclosed number of workers and a few months later furloughed many of the workers at its massive Jackson County plant as part of efforts to cut production to match the sagging demand for electric vehicles.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ferris, who pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings in his second Cactus League start Saturday in the Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, noticed the contrast going from the Cubs to the Dodgers.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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The debt markets going pencils down is a huge risk to an M&A market that looks poised to rip.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilt. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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