die-off

1 of 2

noun

ˈdī-ˌȯf 

: a sudden sharp decline of a population of animals or plants that is not caused directly by human activity

die off

2 of 2

verb

ˈdī-ˈȯf 

died off; dying off; dies off

intransitive verb

: 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

Noun

It was considered the largest die-off of any warm-blooded creature ever recorded. — John Ramos, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

And rising ocean temperatures have caused large-scale coral bleaching and die-offs since 1997. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

Life goes on even as humanity dies off due to its own violence and lack of cooperation and care for others. — Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026

At the beginning of the tenth season, the show revealed that the character had died off-screen, allowing the series to continue focusing on the Goldberg family without him. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1697, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for die-off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

die-off

noun

ˈdī-ˌȯf

: a sudden sharp drop in the numbers of plants or animals in a group