: a sudden sharp decline of a population of animals or plants that is not caused directly by human activity
died off; dying off; dies off
: to die sequentially either singly or in numbers so that the total number is greatly diminished
Examples of die-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024
Today bleached, dead white coral is seen everywhere — a die-off due to warming, polluted waters.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
But climate change and appealing to younger palates, as older fans of heavy reds die off, make the challenge existential for many.
—Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune Europe, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Noun
My installation is one of many aimed at helping to reverse a die-off that is happening not only in the Maldives, but across the globe.
—Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024
Today bleached, dead white coral is seen everywhere — a die-off due to warming, polluted waters.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Share [Findings] Inland waters are emitting previously unaccounted-for levels of carbon dioxide, and freshwater insects are flourishing even as terrestrial insects are dying off.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
But climate change and appealing to younger palates, as older fans of heavy reds die off, make the challenge existential for many.
—Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune Europe, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off
Dictionary Entries Near die-off
Cite this Entry
“Die-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/die-off. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share