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View synonyms for die-off

die-off

[ dahy-awf, -of ]

noun

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


die-off

/ 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.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of die-off1

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

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

The team also showed that decayed elephant carcasses were more spread out across the landscape than fresh carcasses, indicating that the die-off in 2020 was different from typical elephant mortality patterns.

The dewatering of the river and the mass fish die-off, which were first reported by the news website SJV Water, have sparked an outpouring of concern in the community.

In 2022, a mass fish die-off occurred in the Klamath River after successive landslides dumped fire-scarred soil and debris into the watershed, dropping dissolved oxygen levels for several hours.

Coral bleaching is similar to but more extensive than the kelp forest die-off along the coasts of South Australia and California.

The consequences of a widespread urchin die-off for marine ecosystems could be dire, biologists say.

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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.

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die-hardSchöne Müllerin, Die