deforest
verb
de·for·est
(ˌ)dē-ˈfȯr-əst 
-ˈfär-
deforested; deforesting; deforests
: to clear (an area) of forests : to remove trees from (an area)
As eroded hillsides become useless, the displaced farmers move still farther up the mountains, deforesting still more land.—
Jane Jacobs
Jane JacobsOvergrazing has joined with the wide use of wood fuels to deforest large areas.—Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.
Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.Examples of deforest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Using environmental geographers, satellite images and Mexican government estimates, the NGO Climate Rights International estimates that the area deforested for these plantations is between 16,000 and 28,000 hectares.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 14 June 2024
Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef exporters, with more cattle than people, and in the Amazon, 86% of the areas deforested between 1985 and 2020 became pastures, according to an analysis from environmental nonprofit Imazon.
—Andre Cabette Fabio, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023
England has been deforested for a very, very, very long time, because it's been quite heavily settled.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
The state was 80 percent deforested by the end of the 19th century, so even though much has grown back and our topography now is far more wooded than not, most of it is relatively new growth.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
During his previous presidential term, between 2007 and 2010, the rate at which the Brazilian Amazon was being deforested plunged to record lows.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
The jump is due to clearing of areas deforested in the second half of 2022, Jair Schmitt, head of environmental protection at Ibama, Brazil’s federal environmental agency, told The Associated Press.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 7 July 2023
The same amount of forested land would go for $3.80, but the buyers would have to deforest and occupy it themselves.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2022
Saving the Amazon is also entwined with the rights of Indigenous people; a growing body of research suggests that lands stewarded by Indigenous people are deforested less.
—Emma Bryce, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2023
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 14 June 2024
Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef exporters, with more cattle than people, and in the Amazon, 86% of the areas deforested between 1985 and 2020 became pastures, according to an analysis from environmental nonprofit Imazon.
—Andre Cabette Fabio, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023
England has been deforested for a very, very, very long time, because it's been quite heavily settled.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
The state was 80 percent deforested by the end of the 19th century, so even though much has grown back and our topography now is far more wooded than not, most of it is relatively new growth.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
During his previous presidential term, between 2007 and 2010, the rate at which the Brazilian Amazon was being deforested plunged to record lows.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
The jump is due to clearing of areas deforested in the second half of 2022, Jair Schmitt, head of environmental protection at Ibama, Brazil’s federal environmental agency, told The Associated Press.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 7 July 2023
The same amount of forested land would go for $3.80, but the buyers would have to deforest and occupy it themselves.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2022
Saving the Amazon is also entwined with the rights of Indigenous people; a growing body of research suggests that lands stewarded by Indigenous people are deforested less.
—Emma Bryce, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deforest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Deforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deforest. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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