: 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
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Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 24 July 2025
Large animal die-offs could also throw whole ecosystems in disarray, as deaths unfold within a network in which every species fills particular niches.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 15 July 2025
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
Collins said formerly enslaved people celebrated after June 1865, but festivities died off for a while.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for die-off
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Noun
Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley said the die-off was mainly bass and was first brought to her attention by local residents who sent images of the large number of dead fish to her office.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 24 July 2025
Large animal die-offs could also throw whole ecosystems in disarray, as deaths unfold within a network in which every species fills particular niches.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 15 July 2025
Verb
Depending on how the 2025-26 NBA season goes, these rumors could pick up steam or die off.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
Collins said formerly enslaved people celebrated after June 1865, but festivities died off for a while.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 19 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 30 Jul. 2025.
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