defoliate

verb

Definition of defoliatenext
as in to skin

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defoliate At the opposite end of the spectrum are roses that are highly susceptible — losing vigor, producing fewer blooms, developing buds that ball up, and in some cases defoliating entirely. — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for defoliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate
  1. skin
  2. bark
  3. hull
  4. husk
  5. flay
  6. denude
  7. shell
  8. strip
Verb
  • One of the animals had been fully skinned while the other had been quartered.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Thanks to camelia, olive, rosehip, and turmeric, this formula improves collagen production, smooths wrinkles, reduces inflammation, speeds up healing, and firms skin.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of skin
Verb
  • Rubber-bullet shooters and a barking K-9 unit trailed behind.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The golden doodles would always bark when someone approached the house, said Ashley’s father, Todd Smith.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of bark
Verb
  • Pumpkin seeds can be consumed hulled or unhulled, but sunflower seeds should only be consumed when hulled.
    — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 10 July 2026
  • Recipe information If using ¾ cup hulled barley, rinse in a mesh sieve under running water.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of hull
Verb
  • Meanwhile, working one at a time, cut kernels off 4 large ears of corn, husked, and transfer to a large bowl.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of husk
Verb
  • The Saints also appeared to have scored a defensive touchdown when edge rusher Chase Young hit Lions QB Jared Goff hard from behind, sending the ball flaying backward toward the Detroit goal line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The children are dismembered and penetrated, flayed alive, disemboweled, and their intestines set alight.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of flay
Verb
  • The tribe led efforts to restore Prairie Creek, which had been largely denuded and buried by the timber operation.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • Against this show, college dorm room posters of melting clocks feel utterly denuded, with regrets to the angsty teens pinning them up.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of denude
Verb
  • Additionally, six facilities were cited for health food violations including old rodent droppings on the floor near chicken packaging and shelled eggs stored improperly.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a statement Thursday that the strikes were carried out after eight drones were launched from Afghanistan and Afghan forces shelled Pakistani border posts.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of shell
Verb
  • The House passed its own version over the summer as part of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, which strips out the duty of care language.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With the sentence stripped down to subject, moment and outcome, teams can go looking in places that have nothing to do with their product.
    — Duncan Wardle, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of strip

Browse Nearby Words

deflects
defoliate
defoliated
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Cite this Entry

“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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