Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defoliate
While a small population of potato beetles won’t do much damage, large infestations can defoliate potato stems, weaken plants, and make potatoes produce fewer spuds.
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
The caterpillars feed and defoliate boxwood plants.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2025
In 2021, the moths defoliated over nine million acres of forest across the country according to Purdue University.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 16 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
The caterpillars feed and defoliate boxwood plants.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2025
In 2021, the moths defoliated over nine million acres of forest across the country according to Purdue University.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 16 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate
Verb
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One after another, Travis Street Hospitality restaurants have taught Dallas that there’s more than one way to skin an andouillette.—
Claudia Alarcón,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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All of the carcasses that washed ashore had been skinned, Cole said, with some missing their front paws.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Field has also been directed to bark her lines, as though impatience was an essential component of old age.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
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Interesting that the aficionados of barking at people to do as they’re told don’t respond well to being subjected to the same treatment.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Recipe information If using ¾ cup hulled barley, rinse in a mesh sieve under running water.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 2026
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The corn is dried, hulled, and ground to create the coarse meal known as grits.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Just husk the corn, remove the silk and grill those cobs naked so they’re lightly charred, sweet, slightly crisp with a roasty popcorn taste.—
Beth Dooley,
Boston Herald,
20 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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Dwight grabbed my arm, wrenching my hand out of my pocket, flaying it like a fish, pulling me along.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
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Dent remarks that his stuffed hams, flayed open, stuffed with greens and steamed til they are cooked through, are a source of pride for the restaurant.—
Katie Riley,
Southern Living,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From a narrowly military-strategic perspective, China will benefit from the fact that more U.S. forces may shift from the Asia-Pacific into the Middle East, and U.S. military munitions stocks are likely to be further denuded.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
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Groomers complain about owners who, instead of troubling themselves with the daily brushing and regular cuts that low-shedding coats require, allow their dog’s coat to develop painful mats that have to be shaved off, then yell at the groomer for denuding their fur baby.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, a peacekeeping mission, said Thursday that a Serbian peacekeeper was killed and two others were wounded when shelling hit their base in the country's southeast the previous night.—
Sarah Lynch Baldwin,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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Despite that, getting shelled by both Troy and arch-rival Florida has to be a bitter pill to swallow for such a proud program.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
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So thieves strip it from phone lines, as well as from other infrastructure like streetlamps and EV chargers.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
3 June 2026
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And the Education Department has stripped funding from some districts that used it to create magnet schools intended to be more diverse.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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