exfoliate

American  

[eks-foh-lee-eyt] / ɛksˈfoʊ liˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

exfoliated, exfoliating

1. to throw off in scales, splinters, etc.

2. to remove the surface of (a bone, the skin, etc.) in scales or laminae.

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verb (used without object)

exfoliated, exfoliating

1. to throw off scales or flakes; peel off in thin fragments.

   The bark of some trees exfoliates.

2. Geology.

   1. to split or swell into a scaly aggregate, as certain minerals when heated.

   2. to separate into rudely concentric layers or sheets, as certain rocks during weathering.

3. Medicine/Medical. to separate and come off in scales, as scaling skin or any structure separating in flakes.

exfoliate British  

/ ɛksˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to wash (a part of the body) with a granular cosmetic preparation in order to remove dead cells from the skin's surface

2. (of bark, skin, etc) to peel off in (layers, flakes, or scales)

3. (intr) (of rocks or minerals) to shed the thin outermost layer because of weathering or heating

4. (of some minerals, esp mica) to split or cause to split into thin flakes

   a factory to exfoliate vermiculite

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Other Word Forms

• exfoliation noun
• exfoliative adjective

Etymology

Origin of exfoliate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin exfoliātus, past participle of exfoliāre “to strip off leaves”; ex- ¹, foliate

Example Sentences

I have this silicone exfoliant pad that I will use to fully exfoliate my body.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2025

Dee also combines the treatments with high-grade medical skin care to exfoliate dead skin cells and use serums to stimulate collagen and elastin.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2023

These are like facial masks for your feet, and many make lofty promises to remove calluses, exfoliate your skin and make your feet feel smoother and softer.

From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2022

Don’t wash your face, don’t exfoliate, don’t put a tea-tree serum on it.

From Slate • Jan. 30, 2019

The name is from the Latin vermiculor, “to breed worms,” because when heated before the blowpipe these minerals exfoliate into long worm-like threads.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various