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See Also:
  • a variation of molt.

moult

British  
/ məʊlt /

verb

  1. (of birds, mammals, reptiles, and arthropods) to shed (feathers, hair, skin, or cuticle)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the periodic process of moulting See also ecdysis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of moult

C14 mouten, from Old English mūtian, as in bimūtian to exchange for, from Latin mūtāre to change

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.

On a tree trunk in Thailand's Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area, a tiny male broad-headed bark spider rides on the abdomen of a camouflaged female, waiting for her to moult so he can mate.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Sea ice is also important for resting, during their annual moult and to escape from predators.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2021

Thus, it makes sense that we moult depending on the temperature: hold onto our hair more tightly during the winter months and lose it in the summer.

From Washington Times • Jan. 20, 2016

I had to get it all cut off before it fell off, in a horrid, frizzy, never-ending blizzard of moult.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2015

No larger than a raven, it was young and barely out of its first moult; the head seemed a little too big for its body, the feathers thin and quilly.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

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