Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

defoliant

American  
[dee-foh-lee-uhnt] / diˈfoʊ li ənt /

noun

  1. a preparation for defoliating plants.

defoliant British  
/ diːˈfəʊlɪənt /

noun

  1. a chemical sprayed or dusted onto trees to cause their leaves to fall, esp to remove cover from an enemy in warfare

"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

Etymology

Origin of defoliant

First recorded in 1940–45; defoli(ate) + -ant

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.

Wicked relations, of course, with the delectably silly names Oscar and Octobra Defoliant.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2015

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.