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Recent Examples of defoliate
In addition to being unsightly, the caterpillars can partially defoliate and weaken the plants.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 June 2025
Plants can defoliate all their leaves before any sign of the disease is obvious.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 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
This bright red insect can severely defoliate these lilies.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 June 2025
Plants can defoliate all their leaves before any sign of the disease is obvious.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 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
This bright red insect can severely defoliate these lilies.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate
Verb
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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
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In tight spaces where a straight driver can't complete a full rotation, that elbow geometry is the difference between finishing the job and abandoning it after hurting your wrist, skinning your knuckles, and questioning your life choices.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Still, does that give the refs justification to bark back?—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
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Not a dog barking or a feral cat knocking the lid off the garbage.—
Ellen Bass,
New Yorker,
4 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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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
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Smoking in a raffish suit like a film noir baddie with a shock of red hair ready to torch the world, Noble’s Richard employs a dusky, ironic voice to flaying effect.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 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 general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said that Russia broke an Easter ceasefire with shelling last month, and the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of doing the same.—
F. Brinley Bruton,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
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There was a time when Saudi was shelling big bucks on major cultural projects and institutions.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Verb
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No injuries were reported, but the tsunami stripped vegetation from steep rock lining the near 25 mile-long fjord with cliffs stretching more than 3,280 feet high, according to Dan Shugar, lead author of the study published May 6 in the journal Science.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
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The first lady’s robot rollout was about creating a model of education that’s easier to monetize, easier to control and easier to strip of its democratic purpose.—
Randi Weingarten,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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