First recorded in 1935–40; noun use of verb phrase die off
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2015, the antelope suffered a mass die-off and it was feared that the Ice Age survivors would become extinct.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 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
He’s talking about the failure to recognize the consequences of climate change manifesting in the surrounding wetlands’ die-off.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2025
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.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2024
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
"Some branches would die off, and others would sprout up," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
As dopamine producing brain cells progressively die off, the brain loses its ability to properly regulate movement.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026
Perhaps the Capitol’s leaders thought that, without help, 13 would die off on its own.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
