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

Thanks to camelia, olive, rosehip, and turmeric, this formula improves collagen production, smooths wrinkles, reduces inflammation, speeds up healing, and firms skin.

— Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 19 Aug. 2026
If hunting or skinning animals, use gloves, and cook game meat thoroughly before eating.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of skin

Verb

Freedom stood up, spread his arms, barked back and took a step toward her.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
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

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

After the 2017 crackdown, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims crossed from Rakhine into neighboring Bangladesh on foot and by boat during shelling, indiscriminate killings and other violence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Thin-shelled yet not overly delicate, stuffed with amarena cherry-scented light ricotta bookended by bitter dark chocolate chips.

— The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of shell

Verb

After Winston completed a 15-yard pass to Braxton Berrios, McCrary-Ball stripped the receiver, and Stiggers recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 29 Aug. 2026
Trump’s efforts to strip public radio and television stations of federal funds and the steep downward profit-losing trend for commercial newsrooms has meant, Ward said, that newsrooms have severely scaled back operations.

— Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defoliate

verb

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