deforestation

American  

[dee-fawr-uh-stey-shuhn, for-] / ˌdi fɔr əˈsteɪ ʃən, fɒr- /

noun

1. the clearing or severe thinning of a forest or other wooded area, leaving few or no trees.

   Most of the world’s deforestation is happening in Brazil.

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deforestation Scientific  

/ dē-fôr′ĭ-stā′shən /

1. The cutting down and removal of all or most of the trees in a forested area. Deforestation can erode soils, contribute to desertification and the pollution of waterways, and decrease biodiversity through the destruction of habitat.

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deforestation Cultural  

1. The process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else. The term is used today to refer to the destruction of forests by human beings and their replacement by agricultural systems.

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Discover More

Deforestation is considered to be a main contributor to the greenhouse effect.

Etymology

Origin of deforestation

First recorded in 1870–75; deforest ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Deforestation is the clearing of trees, transforming a wooded area into cleared land. The first step in turning the wilderness into a shopping center is deforestation. You can see the word forest in deforestation. The prefix de- means "remove" and the suffix -ation signals "the act or state of." So deforestation is the act of removing a forest. First, the trees are chopped down, the wood shipped around the world for making products. Then the land is made smooth enough for homes, businesses, or farming. Today, in many places, laws limit the amount of deforestation.

Example Sentences

This leads to dehydration and eventually “desertification”—a phenomenon the film tracks across a quasi-equatorial band of the Earth, where deforestation in pursuit of farmland has had a deleterious effect.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Experts see protected Indigenous lands as one of the best defenses against climate change and deforestation.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Some speculate that Andes virus outbreaks are increasing amid deforestation, which pushes rodents out of their natural habitats and closer to humans.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

The loss of tropical rainforests slowed last year, new satellite data suggests, largely due to Brazil's efforts to curb deforestation in the Amazon.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

By around 5,000 years ago, pollen analyses testify to widespread deforestation of highland valleys, suggesting forest clearance for agriculture.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• desertification
• erosion
• logging