: a condition in woody plants in which peripheral parts are killed (as by parasites)
Examples of dieback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trees can’t heal quite the way animals do, but with luck, this damage will remain minor and not cause significant dieback.
—
Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
This disease can also infect stems, resulting in tip dieback.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Just like with branches and trunks, wounding can remove bark and allow decay into the live root wood underneath, killing tissues and potentially causing plant stress or canopy dieback.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 25 Jan. 2024
For a long time, those contemplating the climate future tended to focus on the risk of thresholds being reached — the disappearance of the world’s coral reefs, say, or the irreversible collapse of the planet’s ice sheets, or the dieback of the Amazon rainforest.
—David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
Gladiola corms and dahlia tubers: Let the first frost cause dieback and then dig them.
—Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Bacterial leaf spot can move into the stems, resulting in dieback of the ivy tips.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Visit our When numerous, armored scale (the group to which San Jose Scale belongs) will potentially cause plant stunting or dieback.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023
As the atmosphere takes up more water, the trees close their leaf stomata, reducing photosynthesis that can cause mortality or dieback.
—Jim Robbins Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
This disease can also infect stems, resulting in tip dieback.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Just like with branches and trunks, wounding can remove bark and allow decay into the live root wood underneath, killing tissues and potentially causing plant stress or canopy dieback.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 25 Jan. 2024
For a long time, those contemplating the climate future tended to focus on the risk of thresholds being reached — the disappearance of the world’s coral reefs, say, or the irreversible collapse of the planet’s ice sheets, or the dieback of the Amazon rainforest.
—David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
Gladiola corms and dahlia tubers: Let the first frost cause dieback and then dig them.
—Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Bacterial leaf spot can move into the stems, resulting in dieback of the ivy tips.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Visit our When numerous, armored scale (the group to which San Jose Scale belongs) will potentially cause plant stunting or dieback.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023
As the atmosphere takes up more water, the trees close their leaf stomata, reducing photosynthesis that can cause mortality or dieback.
—Jim Robbins Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dieback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1886, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near dieback
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“Dieback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dieback. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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