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Recent Examples of defoliate
Thielen noted that the three St. Louis County wildfires were zero percent contained as of early Tuesday afternoon, and that the dry and windy conditions Tuesday and Wednesday are conducive to wildfire spread in an area heavily defoliated by the spruce budworm.
—
Katie Rohman, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
This bright red insect can severely defoliate these lilies.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Katie Rohman, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
This bright red insect can severely defoliate these lilies.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate
Verb
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Parish skins the leg quarters — frying up the exteriors for cracklins — and smokes them before a three-hour confit.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
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Morgan’s mother, who could skin a deer in two minutes with nothing more than a golf ball and a piece of string, held the business together.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Nobody seemed in charge when things got crazy, so different instructions were being barked out haphazardly by all four men.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Playing fields at around 7:10 p.m. local time, when his pet and a different dog that was being walked by another male began to bark at each other.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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To hull a strawberry: Grab a sharp paring knife with your dominant hand, gripping the blade with your index finger and thumb, and leave about 1 inch poking out.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Uses include: Blend hulled seeds with oil to make homemade tahini sauce Put them in a vegetable slaw Sprinkle on to add an Asian twist to your recipes. 4.—
Nancy LeBrun,
Verywell Health,
11 June 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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These include thinning fabric, stretching or sagging, holes, flaying, and heavy pilling.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
1 July 2025
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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
Verb
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And more recently, in the throes of a homeless crisis, city staff and law enforcement have removed and denuded trees to control the conditions on the street.—
Sam Bloch
August 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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At the time, the region that would become Mammoth Cave lay under a shallow tropical sea that supported a variety of life, from corals and shelled creatures to early fish and, of course, sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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Homes are being shelled, families displaced, hospitals are being bombed, and religious sites and symbols desecrated, led by the Syrian regime with the blessing of President Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.—
Sawsan Natour-Hasson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 July 2025
Verb
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The amendment was initially adopted to the spending bill but then stripped on a party-line Republican vote.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
8 Aug. 2025
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The Voting Rights Act has been drastically stripped down over the last 10 years, which has presented minority voters with challenges in casting their ballots, Harris said.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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