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Recent Examples of defoliate
Affected trees can be completely defoliated, giving a wintry appearance in summer.
—
Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2025
Only the Box Tree Moth caterpillars will defoliate the plants.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
These caterpillars will eat the foliage and defoliate a boxwood.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
For example, spongy moths may be virtually absent for years on end before appearing en masse and defoliating forests.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2025
Only the Box Tree Moth caterpillars will defoliate the plants.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
These caterpillars will eat the foliage and defoliate a boxwood.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2024
For example, spongy moths may be virtually absent for years on end before appearing en masse and defoliating forests.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate
Verb
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Scheana Shay tries to skin him and make him into a fake Birkin.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
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As Perez attempted to skin the cat, Rhea Ripley rose from the dead and tossed Perez into a pile of ladders.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Cricket wouldn't stop barking until the owners knew where the snake was hiding, coiled up along the fence.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
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Indeed, as soon as Tatis got plunked on the hand by a 93 mph fastball from debuting Dodgers rookie Jack Little, Shildt came storming out of the dugout, walking over to check on Tatis while barking in Roberts’ direction.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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To make strawberry ice cream, add 1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced. To make cookies and cream ice cream, add 1 cup of crushed Oreos.—
Maryal Miller Carter,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
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Place hulled strawberries, sugar, and 2 cups of the water in a blender with lemon quarters; blend on HIGH until almost fully pureed, 30 seconds to 1 minute.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Examples include chopping bee, husking bee, logging bee, quilting bee, house- or barn-raising bee, sewing bee, spinning be, and, ultimately, spelling bee.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
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Ingredients 4 ears fresh yellow corn, husked, silks removed 2 tsp.—
Julia Levy,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Stripped to the bone and flayed by her ugly experiences, both during and for years after, Lidia is emotionally naked, unable even to ask for or accept help.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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Separating fact from invention is difficult, but there have been rumors that there was more than one murderer, the killing was drug-related and — perhaps most disturbingly — that Driscoll was either dismembered or flayed alive.—
Alex Heigl,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Trash burning and water shortages are a worsening blight, while the construction of upscale villas has denuded vegetation and exacerbated a perennial flooding problem.—
Charlie Campbell,
TIME,
17 Mar. 2025
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During Trump’s first term, the Republicans’ feed-the-rich Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 denuded the tax base, causing revenues as a percentage of G.D.P. to fall.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Today, three years since the war started, shelling from Russian drones and artillery from across the Dnipro River — a mere mile away — is the worst yet, according to a CNN report.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 June 2025
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The Red Sox won that game anyway, 9-3, as Boston shelled Gooden for six runs in five innings.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Verb
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The peppermint offers a pleasant and fresh scent, the physical exfoliants did not feel harsh or stripping, and the lightweight, almost gel-like consistency glides on and massages into the skin with ease.—
Cierra Black,
Essence,
24 June 2025
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Without his drug business, Bumpy no longer has the overhead nor the power to prevent the Italians from encroaching on his territory and stripping opportunities from Black Harlemites.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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