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die-off

American  
[dahy-awf, -of] / ˈdaɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

  1. a sudden, natural perishing of large numbers of a species, population, or community.

die-off Scientific  
/ dī′ôf′ /

  1. A sudden, severe decline in a population or community of organisms as a result of natural causes. Local die-offs can be caused by such factors as an unusual or extreme weather pattern, an outbreak of disease, or toxic algal blooms in a body of water. Widespread or global die-offs in which a species or group of species becomes extinct are generally associated with rapid climate change or other large-scale environmental dislocations.

die off Idioms  

  1. Perish one by one, as in A celibate community, the Shakers are dying off. [Late 1600s]

Etymology

Origin of die-off

First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase die off

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The end-Permian mass extinction, the most devastating die-off in Earth's history, struck about 252 million years ago and was followed by extreme global warming.

From Science Daily

These toxic elements sat in the channel’s then-stagnant water, which led to a die-off of all vegetation and the emission of foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide.

From Los Angeles Times

In the recent years of unprecedented wildfires, the public discourse has been filled with speculation that such a total tree die-off, combined with a warming climate, could irreversibly change a forest, leaving it barren of the conifers that dominate an alpine ecosystem.

From Los Angeles Times

"Reports from elsewhere suggest that the 2022-2023 die-off in the Canary Islands was another step in a broader marine pandemic, with serious consequences for these key reef grazers," concluded Cano.

From Science Daily

Earlier this year, scientists warned that bird flu had sparked the worst die-off on record for southern elephant seals when it spread among a population on Argentina's coast in 2023.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.