: 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
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
That's important because honey bees play a critical role in agriculture and the environment and have been subject to large die-offs in the past two decades.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Rafe Pomerance, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2025
Dry winters could mean ideal conditions for fires The lack of snow in the Treasure Valley has meant that grass isn’t dying off in the winter and remains drier than usual, creating extra fuel for fires, according to Cline.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 29 June 2025
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Noun
The last major die-off in the Florida Bay was after a drought period resulting in high salinity in 2015.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
That's important because honey bees play a critical role in agriculture and the environment and have been subject to large die-offs in the past two decades.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Verb
In this event, 99% of the world’s coral reefs are likely to die off, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
—Rafe Pomerance, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2025
Dry winters could mean ideal conditions for fires The lack of snow in the Treasure Valley has meant that grass isn’t dying off in the winter and remains drier than usual, creating extra fuel for fires, according to Cline.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 29 June 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 14 Jul. 2025.
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