wilts

verb

present tense third-person singular of wilt
1
as in droops
to be limp from lack of water or vigor the plants wilted after I forgot to water them for three whole days

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor she had wilted a bit after walking around the hot and humid city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dries
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness after six solid hours of painting, his energy was starting to wilt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 wilts When to Harvest Spinach Harvest spinach early in the morning when temperatures are cool and before the sun wilts the leaves, says gardening instructor Meg Austin. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilts
  1. droops
  2. fades
  3. dries
  4. hangs
  5. weakens
  6. sags
  7. goes
  8. fails
Verb
  • Too thick of a mascara coat, and suddenly my gaze droops.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The cream should hold a soft, semi-sturdy peak that gently droops at the tip without collapsing entirely.
    — Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
Definition of droops
Verb
  • As the glimmer of June’s full Strawberry Moon fades into the night, darker evenings allow for a better view of the Milky Way along with other celestial bodies.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Then, just as suddenly, the din fades away, the focus shifts and the election process is forgotten until the next round of howling protest.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of fades
Verb
  • Notably, like my favorite Make Beauty skin tint, the concealer is super moisturizing, and dries down to look like an extension of my skin rather than settling into fine lines with a papery, flaky finish.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 1 July 2026
  • It’s made especially for hot days with sweat-wicking technology that dries quickly.
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Definition of dries
Verb
  • These swim shorts from Lands’ End boast a 9-inch inseam that hangs above the knee.
    — Laurie Lyons-Makaimoku, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026
  • Thereby hangs Colloff’s spellbinding tale of a justice system derailed by biases.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of hangs
Verb
  • Fresh concrete is alkaline enough to shield the metal from rust, but carbonation gradually lowers its pH and weakens that protection.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 11 July 2026
  • As the sun grows lighter, its gravitational grip weakens, pushing the surviving planets outward into a wider orbit that could double their distance from the star, according to NASA.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Unfortunately, using too little paint will leave patchy areas and harsh lines, and using too much paint will promote drips and paint that sags.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 6 July 2026
  • There is no scrapeable archive of how to grasp a wet cup, unload a box that sags in the middle, fold a towel, or help an older adult out of a chair.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of sags
Verb
  • The new film has a 71% on RT which puts it in the middle of the pack as far as this film franchise goes.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
  • This means that a growing proportion of workers’ salaries goes towards supporting retirees to keep the current pension system going.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Definition of goes
Verb
  • Companies use self-service technology to cut costs, but risk losing customers when the technology fails without human support.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • If that fails, the Yankees still have some internal ways of improving their pen, at least theoretically.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
Definition of fails

Browse Nearby Words

wilting
wilts
wily
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wilts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilts. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wilts

Nglish: Translation of wilts for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All