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Definition of "winterkill" [win•ter•kill]

  • To kill (plants, for example) by exposing to extremely cold winter weather. (verb-transitive)
  • To die from exposure to cold winter weather. Used especially of plants. (verb-intransitive)
  • Death, as of plants, resulting from exposure to winter weather. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "winterkill" in a sentence
  • "Still, heavy winterkill in some regions—estimated at 16% in the key Volga region—and delays to spring plantings mean many observers remain cautious about Russia's output."
  • "Also, I don't know if it has affected the lakes in Manitoba, but the harsch winter severly rose the number of fish decimated due to winterkill in ND, and it could be a factor where you are headed."
  • "Lower water levels, which reduce under-ice water volumes and increase the likelihood of winterkill, could possibly counteract this effect."