: 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
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
In the 10 years before the mass tree die-off, East Bay Parks spent an average of $2 million per year on fuel management.
—Chase Hunter, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
Too bad my backyard garden beds died off three frosts ago.
—Christopher Hastings, Bon Appétit, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for die-off 
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Noun
Researchers have not been able to determine how the wild bird version of the virus spilled into Nevada herds, although there were reports of massive bird die-offs in the area during that period.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
In the 10 years before the mass tree die-off, East Bay Parks spent an average of $2 million per year on fuel management.
—Chase Hunter, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
During those weeks, the cicadas mature, mate and lay eggs before dying off, and then their offspring begin the cycle anew.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
Too bad my backyard garden beds died off three frosts ago.
—Christopher Hastings, Bon Appétit, 13 Jan. 2025
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 24 Feb. 2025.
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