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desertification

American  
[dih-zur-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] / dɪˌzɜr tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /
Also desertization

noun

Ecology.

  1. the processes by which an area becomes a desert.

  2. the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, caused mostly by a combination of drought and such human practices as deforestation and unsustainable agriculture, the effects of which are exacerbated by climate change.

desertification British  
/ dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

  1. a process by which fertile land turns into barren land or desert

"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
desertification Scientific  
/ dĭ-zûr′tə-fĭ-kā′shən /

  1. The transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert. Desertification can result from climate change or from human practices such as deforestation and overgrazing.

Etymology

Origin of desertification

First recorded in 1970–75; desert 1 + -i- + -fication

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.

He added that Iraq has extensive "successful" experience in combating desertification and dust storms by stabilising sand dunes.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

Mr Batra explains the goal is "to help combat desertification".

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Deforestation and flooding in Bangladesh, the collapse of Black Sea fisheries, the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa and “a nearly endless list” of other issues, he said, would drive human migration.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 2024

Countering human efforts to expand oases, desertification contributed to oasis loss.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

The addition of 75 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine.

From The 2005 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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.