molt

1 of 2

verb

ˈmōlt 

molted; molting; molts

intransitive verb

: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically

Birds molt once or twice a year.

transitive verb

: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically

specifically : to throw off (the old cuticle (see cuticle sense 1))

—used of arthropods

a spider, like a lobster, molts its covering as it grows

—Eugene Kinkead

molter noun

molt

2 of 2

noun

: the act or process of molting

specifically : ecdysis

Synonyms

Verb

• exfoliate
• shed
• slip
• slough
• sluff

Examples of molt in a Sentence

Verb

Snakes molt as they grow, shedding the old skin and growing a larger new skin.

a crab molts its shell as it grows larger

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The team’s mascot is a coconut crab named Kenny, who during my recent visit was busy molting under the soil of his enclosure. —Darren Incorvaia, New York Times, 28 May 2024

Plus, periodical cicadas emerge only to molt, breed, lay eggs and die, all within a few weeks. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

Located 200 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, the seals gather here to rest, molt, give birth to their pups, and breed. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Feb. 2024

Crows can be beautiful birds whose black feathers shimmer green and violet, like an aurora in the night sky; in late summer, however, Parisian crows looked ragged from their annual molt. —Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

alteration of Middle English mouten, from Old English -mūtian to change, from Latin mutare — more at mutable

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing molt

• pre-molt

Kids Definition

molt

1 of 2 verb

ˈmōlt 

: to shed hair, feathers, outer skin, shell, or horns with the cast-off parts being replaced by a new growth

molt

2 of 2 noun

: the act, process, or period of molting

Medical Definition

molt

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈmōlt 

variants or chiefly British moult

: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically

transitive verb

: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically

specifically : to throw off (the old cuticle)

—used of arthropods

molt

2 of 2 noun

variants or chiefly British moult

: the act or process of molting

specifically : ecdysis