defoliate
verb
de·fo·li·ate
(ˌ)dē-ˈfō-lē-ˌāt 
defoliated; defoliating; defoliates
: to deprive of leaves especially prematurely
Black spot, which looks like its name, attacks leaves. Left untreated, it spreads and multiplies, and can defoliate the plant.—
Dave Dunn
Dave DunnJust two years after winds from Hurricane Iniki defoliated much of the island, towering eucalyptus and pine trees in this mountainside park are lush with new green leaves.—Jeff Phillips
Jeff PhillipsExamples of defoliate in a Sentence
a chemical used to defoliate trees
Insects are defoliating the trees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Both tomatoes were bred using West Virginia ’63 as the parent fruit and boasted resistance to late blight as well as to Septoria leaf spot, a defoliating disease that exposes the fruit to sunburn.
—Ashley Stimpson, Washington Post, 15 June 2024
Fresh buds may also be consumed if trees are severely defoliated.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
The objectives were primarily to defoliate trees and thus uncover enemy troop concentrations and to destroy crops destined for enemy stomachs.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
The symptoms are very distinctive: the stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
Dow manufactured napalm, the chemical weapon used by the military to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam while severely burning and killing substantial numbers of civilians.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Some cultivars tolerate rust, but intolerant cultivars can defoliate completely.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Citrus in containers may defoliate during the winter.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
In 2022 when the current budworm outbreak likely began, 28,000 acres of pines were defoliated.
—Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2023
Ashley Stimpson, Washington Post, 15 June 2024
Fresh buds may also be consumed if trees are severely defoliated.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
The objectives were primarily to defoliate trees and thus uncover enemy troop concentrations and to destroy crops destined for enemy stomachs.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
The symptoms are very distinctive: the stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
Dow manufactured napalm, the chemical weapon used by the military to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam while severely burning and killing substantial numbers of civilians.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Some cultivars tolerate rust, but intolerant cultivars can defoliate completely.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Citrus in containers may defoliate during the winter.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
In 2022 when the current budworm outbreak likely began, 28,000 acres of pines were defoliated.
—Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defoliate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defoliate
Cite this Entry
“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defoliate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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