1
as in to droop
to be limp from lack of water or vigor
the plants wilted after I forgot to water them for three whole days
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
she had wilted a bit after walking around the hot and humid city
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dry
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
after six solid hours of painting, his energy was starting to wilt
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wilt
Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, 2 minutes.
—
Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026
What followed was an incessant attack on the senses as the Premier League champions wilted in the Rams Park cauldron.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings, but don’t let the seedlings wilt.
—Holly McNamara, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Cover the pot, and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
—Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wilt
Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026
What followed was an incessant attack on the senses as the Premier League champions wilted in the Rams Park cauldron.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings, but don’t let the seedlings wilt.
—Holly McNamara, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Cover the pot, and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
—Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilt
Verb
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But his mouth was open and drooped peculiarly to one side, and his skin was sucked into his skeleton like a vacuum storage bag.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
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Paramylodon harlani was not like today’s cutesy tree sloths, drooping in the jungle canopy.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But in 2026, such dreams faded fast.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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The Ravel composition for which the film is named plays over a black screen, then fades into birdsong.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stillage is a heavy, moisture-rich byproduct that is typically difficult to transport or costly to dry for use as animal feed.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
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The other villagers — mostly women and children — sit just beyond the sandbag perimeter, under the shade of some trees, spreading more cassava on bamboo trays in preparation for drying.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Turkish doctors found no correlation between BMI and hyoid bone fracture in pediatric deaths by hanging, and Parisian doctors are generally unaware of adolescents’ dangerous games.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Norma Jane Lumpkin, whose long hair hung past her waist, was four decades into a life sentence for her role in the 1981 bludgeoning death of her husband.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For the country’s leadership, weakened militarily and more isolated than ever, inflicting economic suffering has become the most powerful weapon available.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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Continuous support could theoretically weaken muscles, so experts advise mixing exo use with traditional ergonomics and exercise.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Eventually though, Duke wore down the Saints with size and a withering second-half performance on the glass (30-13).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Despite withering airstrikes, officials see a weakened but more hard-line government in Tehran, backed by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security forces.—
Ellen Nakashima,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Release, for contouring and pressure relief; and Adaptive, to keep the bed from sagging.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
19 Mar. 2026
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The roof flakes, the porch sags.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Having faced Big Ten physicality all season, first-year Iowa coach Ben McCollum’s team went toe to toe with Florida’s punishing front court.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
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Part of the money will also go toward expansion of Philander Smith's health education facilities, including space for soon-to-be radiologists and phlebotomists.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilt. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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