Thesaurus results for DEFOLIATE

defoliate

verb

Definition of defoliate

as in to skin

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defoliate At the opposite end of the spectrum are roses that are highly susceptible — losing vigor, producing fewer blooms, developing buds that ball up, and in some cases defoliating entirely. — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026 While a small population of potato beetles won’t do much damage, large infestations can defoliate potato stems, weaken plants, and make potatoes produce fewer spuds. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025 The caterpillars feed and defoliate boxwood plants. — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2025 In 2021, the moths defoliated over nine million acres of forest across the country according to Purdue University. — Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for defoliate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defoliate

Verb

Yamaguchi prepared each course live, skinning a pike conger or breaking down live lobsters from his perch behind the grill.

— Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026
Formulated with retinol, collagen, and hyaluronic acid, the anti-aging cream smooths and firms skin.

— Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of skin

Verb

Both adult residents of the home were alerted to the fire when their dog began barking, helping wake them up, the fire department said.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Mainly looking to drown out a snoring partner, a barking dog or an overactive brain?

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bark

Verb

Under a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program, participating healthcare organizations can offer eligible beneficiaries certain federally legal hemp products, such as hemp seed oil, hemp protein powder and hulled hemp seeds.

— Karon Warren, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Pumpkin seeds can be consumed hulled or unhulled, but sunflower seeds should only be consumed when hulled.

— Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 10 July 2026

Definition of hull

Verb

Meanwhile, working one at a time, cut kernels off 4 large ears of corn, husked, and transfer to a large bowl.

— Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026
Just husk the corn, remove the silk and grill those cobs naked so they’re lightly charred, sweet, slightly crisp with a roasty popcorn taste.

— Beth Dooley, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2025

Definition of husk

Verb

The Saints also appeared to have scored a defensive touchdown when edge rusher Chase Young hit Lions QB Jared Goff hard from behind, sending the ball flaying backward toward the Detroit goal line.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
The children are dismembered and penetrated, flayed alive, disemboweled, and their intestines set alight.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of flay

Verb

This year's phenomenon coincided with a string of hurricanes in the eastern Pacific, fueling sea level rise and large waves that have destroyed homes and denuded some Southern California beaches of sand.

— Daniel Trotta, Arkansas Online, 9 Oct. 2026
The tribe led efforts to restore Prairie Creek, which had been largely denuded and buried by the timber operation.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Definition of denude

Verb

State regulatory paperwork describes a $25 million core and shell for an office building with groundfloor retail measuring 88,000 square feet.

— Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
Additionally, six facilities were cited for health food violations including old rodent droppings on the floor near chicken packaging and shelled eggs stored improperly.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of shell

Verb

Despite Ukraine's pause, officials in Kyiv said the country has been stripped of advance warnings of incoming ballistic missiles, as Starlink connectivity services had been restricted across the country, disrupting military operations.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Many of those stripped from the electoral rolls are appealing their removal—an often laborious process—but the possibility of mass disenfranchisement is real.

— Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of strip

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deflects

defoliate

defoliated

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“Defoliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defoliate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defoliate

verb

Example Sentences

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