: 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
Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2024
The city contracted with Applied Marine Sciences in Livermore to test and analyze water samples throughout the die-off, totaling $5,988 for their services.
—Kyle Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2024
Dylan Scott, Vox, 2 Aug. 2024
Read More: Almost 20 Million Years Ago, Sharks Nearly Went Extinct — Nobody Knows Why
Investigating Other Pollutants
Yet, that concern over coastal pollution has come to a head with the ongoing mass die off of endangered small-tooth sawfish in the Florida Keys.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off 
Noun
The impact would have shot unfathomable quantities of soot and vapor into the atmosphere, shrouding the world below and triggering a widespread die-off.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2024
The city contracted with Applied Marine Sciences in Livermore to test and analyze water samples throughout the die-off, totaling $5,988 for their services.
—Kyle Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2024
Verb
After the birds died off, people in affected areas reported seeing more feral dogs and more rotting carcasses building up in fields.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 2 Aug. 2024
Read More: Almost 20 Million Years Ago, Sharks Nearly Went Extinct — Nobody Knows Why
Investigating Other Pollutants
Yet, that concern over coastal pollution has come to a head with the ongoing mass die off of endangered small-tooth sawfish in the Florida Keys.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for die-off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'die-off.' 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 die-off
Cite this Entry
“Die-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/die-off. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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