: 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
Elle McLogan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Finding them here tells scientists something about the food chains that existed just after a catastrophic die-off.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Solitary wasp colonies last only one year and die off each winter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for die-off
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Noun
The researchers don't anticipate a significant die-off, even after a blizzard and deep freeze.
—Elle McLogan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Finding them here tells scientists something about the food chains that existed just after a catastrophic die-off.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Despite some of the forest being removed, the group continued to advocate for the forest for several years until the movement started to die off around 2022, Nichols said.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Solitary wasp colonies last only one year and die off each winter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026
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 11 Mar. 2026.
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