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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

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

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

"Reports from elsewhere suggest that the 2022-2023 die-off in the Canary Islands was another step in a broader marine pandemic, with serious consequences for these key reef grazers," concluded Cano.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2025

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

The die-off happened amazingly fast—the statistics, according to the study, suggest that it was instantaneous.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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

As the bacteria expand outward and reach areas of the tumor exposed to small amounts of oxygen, they begin to die off before fully eliminating the cancer.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 24, 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

In a patient who gets only one antibiotic or inadequate doses of several, or who doesn’t take his medicine as instructed, the drug-susceptible bacilli may die off but the drug-resistant mutants will flourish.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

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