as in to shed
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside a crab molts its shell as it grows larger

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 molt Certain ideas — a sweater made of flyaway feathers, a gradient that molted into florals around the collar and dresses with untamed bows — hinted at a greater whimsy lying somewhere below the surface. Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025 Harbor seal mothers prefer to rest on slower icebergs after giving birth and on faster ones during molting season. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 Time isn’t just marching on—your civilization is about to molt, caterpillar-style. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025 The chemical builds up in feathers that the birds regularly molt in large quantities. Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for molt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for molt
Verb
  • Silver buttercups, cow parsley and strawberry leaves fill a vase, while branches of apple blossom and Scots pine shed petals and pines, like a Dutch still life in precious metal.
    Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Several of the current PAC members spoke with Golfweek about an issue and shed some light on the path the event will take starting in the 2025 edition.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Molt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/molt. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on molt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!