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

If hunting or skinning animals, use gloves, and cook game meat thoroughly before eating.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
If hunting, trapping or skinning animals, use gloves when handling animals and cook game meat thoroughly before eating, according to the CDC.

— Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of skin

Verb

During the third quarter of the Indiana Fever's 113-90 win over the Sky at Wintrust Arena, Cloud began barking at Freedom, who was sitting courtside.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Rather than having dog kennels lined up across from each other like in traditional shelters, the New Leash on Life design will have kennels on one side facing a hallway to reduce barking and stress.

— Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of bark

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 children are dismembered and penetrated, flayed alive, disemboweled, and their intestines set alight.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
But after Richard’s death, his mercenary captain and right-hand man, the infamous Mercadier, had Basile flayed alive and hanged.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of flay

Verb

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
Against this show, college dorm room posters of melting clocks feel utterly denuded, with regrets to the angsty teens pinning them up.

— Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of denude

Verb

The eggs are then shelled and cooked on low heat, with fresh urine and herbs added as required.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
About a week later, Akwesasne Mohawk police provided US authorities shell casings stemming from an arrest on Indigenous land in Quebec where a suspect had fired their gun on July 22, 2024, according to the memo.

— Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of shell

Verb

But before the developers can build the swank tower, part of the site needed to be stripped of its historic landmark status.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
That combination, just like QIH, suppressed neuronal firing and stripped out a comparable share of synapses, but the mice came out of it with impaired fear memory.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of defoliate

verb

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