: 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
Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
In 2002, a huge salmon die-off, caused in part by the Iron Gate Dam, helped their quest.
—The Editors, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
North Carolina's tricolored bats are unstable, among several species of bats quickly dying off in the dark.
—Dave Malkoff, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for die-off
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Noun
State and federal foresters say this outbreak looks different from the massive lodgepole pine die-off that swept through Colorado in the early 2000s.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
In 2002, a huge salmon die-off, caused in part by the Iron Gate Dam, helped their quest.
—The Editors, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
Verb
An insurance company could sell life or health care policies, pay executives lavish salaries, and go bust when policyholders start to die off or get sick.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
North Carolina's tricolored bats are unstable, among several species of bats quickly dying off in the dark.
—Dave Malkoff, CBS News, 16 Nov. 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 18 Dec. 2025.
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