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• die-off
  die-off

  noun

  a sudden, natural perishing of large numbers of a species, population, or community.
• die off
  die off

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

die-off

American  

[dahy-awf, -of] / ˈdaɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

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

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die-off Scientific  

/ dī′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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die off Idioms  

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

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Etymology

Origin of die-off

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

die-off die off

The equine flu did not trigger a mass die-off: The number of horses on U.S. farms rose 4% in 1872-73.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

These toxic elements sat in the channel’s then-stagnant water, which led to a die-off of all vegetation and the emission of foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026

Earlier this year, scientists warned that bird flu had sparked the worst die-off on record for southern elephant seals when it spread among a population on Argentina's coast in 2023.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

Mass coral die-off is underway and, unless global warming is reversed, large reef systems as we know them will disappear.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2025

Even a year after treatment, a spring die-off of songbirds occurred and much good nesting territory lay silent and unoccupied.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Species develop a new specialty, exploit that niche, grow rapidly, die off slowly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

If family farms die off and get “gobbled up” by giant corporations, consumer choices are reduced, Ross said.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026

Researchers say this marks the first confirmed wildlife die off from the virus on the continent.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026

"Road salt is a major environmental problem," she told AFP, adding that "trees die off after prolonged exposure".

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

True, the conquistadors did not want the Indians to die off en masse.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

• abate
• decrease
• diminish
• dwindle
• ebb
• fade
• fall back
• lessen
• reduce
• retreat
• shrink
• sink
• subside
• taper
• wane

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