How to Use defoliate in a Sentence

defoliate

verb
  • Insects are defoliating the trees.
  • The sucking causes stippling of the leaf and can defoliate the plant.
    — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2022
  • The stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The snails can defoliate large trees, consume grain crops and infect grain with a fungal pathogen.
    — William Thornton | [email protected], al, 21 July 2022
  • Oak leaf blister can defoliate and even kill oak trees.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2015
  • The symptoms are very distinctive: the stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The symptoms are very distinctive: the stems of the plants will turn black, there will be black spots on the leaves, and the most distinctive symptom is the plant will defoliate in sections.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
  • These pests can nearly defoliate a tree late in the summer, but the tree will recover fully next year.
    — oregonlive, 3 Sep. 2022
  • The limes with the mechanic’s light show very little damage, but the lemons are defoliating.
    — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2018
  • If a benjamina defoliates somewhat, you aren’t left with this big bald spot on your tree.
    — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2019
  • Adults eat flowers and skeletonize leaves of a broad range of plants; plants may be completely defoliated.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 26 Jan. 2018
  • Mangrove trees were defoliated, the wind having stripped their leaves off.
    — Ari Natter, Bloomberg.com, 18 Sep. 2017
  • The feeding damage of the larvae is fast — a decent infestation can defoliate a mature plant in a day or so which doesn’t give you much time to react.
    — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 19 June 2021
  • The primary aim in conflict zones was to destroy crops and to defoliate forests used by enemy fighters.
    — Washington Post, 10 May 2021
  • Adults skeletonize leaves, chew flowers, and may completely defoliate plants while larvae feed on lawn and garden plant roots.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • Adults skeletonize leaves, chew flowers, and may completely defoliate plants while larvae feed on lawn and garden plant roots.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 3 June 2016
  • But there are so many of the voracious pests out there this spring that some trees are already being defoliated, Stafford said, and more are likely to be stripped of their leaves before the fungus can have a real impact.
    — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, 1 June 2017
  • Spongy moth caterpillars are notorious for defoliating, or eating all of the leaves off of, trees.
    — Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Yes, Sitka spruce are being defoliated up and down the entire Oregon coast and in parts of northern California.
    — oregonlive, 27 Oct. 2019
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • These beetles defoliate plants, reducing yields or killing young plants.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 3 June 2016
  • Their eggs hatched into spongy-moth caterpillars, which proceeded to defoliate much of New England.
    — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
  • The viburnum leaf beetle is a heavy feeder that can completely defoliate viburnums.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2022
  • While urine has little direct impact on vegetation, some animals are attracted to the salts and may defoliate plants or dig up soil as a result.
    — Vicky Ho, Alaska Dispatch News, 20 July 2017
  • If left untreated, blackspot will defoliate your rose bushes, leaving them unattractive and in a weakened condition.
    — Jefferson County Cooperative Extension, AL.com, 3 July 2017
  • The plant in his hands was a Palmer amaranth descendant that had demonstrated resistance to 2,4-D, one of two active ingredients in compounds used to defoliate forests during the Vietnam War.
    — New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defoliate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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