Thesaurus results for DEFOLIATE

defoliate

verb

Definition of defoliate

as in to skin

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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

Verb

Onion skins to add nutrients to soil, either through compost heap or by placing scraps directly in the dirt.

— Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 7 July 2026
All the specimens were skinned first, and the team removed any excess flesh and internal organs.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026

Definition of skin

Verb

Outside, the guards were often genial and chatty; inside, visitors were treated as objects of suspicion, barked at and insulted.

— Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Days or weeks passed, but then the dog barked, the mail carrier tramped onto the porch, the mailbox clattered.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of bark

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

Regionally, the Iranian regime was at its weakest in decades, denuded of antiair defenses.

— Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Mar. 2026
Although gulf fritillaries can denude passion vines of all foliage, the leaves quickly grow back, and fruit development is not affected.

— Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of denude

Verb

In a new report, NPR's Anas Baba and Aya Batrawy document what daily life looks like for families trapped between expanding military zones, with shelling at night, gunfire by day and nowhere safe to go.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 July 2026
For homemade, combine ¾ cup sugar, ¾ cup water, ½ cup shelled and toasted pistachios and a pinch of salt in a saucepan.

— Gretchen McKay, Boston Herald, 8 July 2026

Definition of shell

Verb

Yet there is something singularly unbecoming about a franchise as American as Superman (and its adjuncts) being willfully stripped of its patriotism and good cheer.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
The internet casually scrambles basic ideas of personhood, reframing people as commodities and stripping us for parts.

— Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026

Definition of strip

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deflects

defoliate

defoliated

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“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of defoliate

verb

Example Sentences

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