deforest

verb

de·​for·​est (ˌ)dē-ˈfȯr-əst How to pronounce deforest (audio)
-ˈfär-
deforested; deforesting; deforests
Synonyms of deforestnext

transitive verb

: to clear (an area) of forests : to remove trees from (an area)
As eroded hillsides become useless, the displaced farmers move still farther up the mountains, deforesting still more land.— Jane Jacobs
Overgrazing has joined with the wide use of wood fuels to deforest large areas.— Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.

Examples of deforest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
About that time, Dorrell was biking up Mont Ventoux in the French Alps, where the top of the mountain has been deforested and looks like a moonscape. — Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025 The company has committed to having 100 percent of its leather sourced from land not converted from a natural ecosystem or deforested for the grazing of cows, which will apply to European leather by 2025 and global sourcing by 2030. — Rhonda Richford, WWD, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

de- + forest entry 1

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deforest was in 1661

Rhymes for deforest

See All Rhymes for deforest

Browse Nearby Words

deforciant
deforest
De Forest
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Cite this Entry

“Deforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deforest. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

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Biographical Definition

De Forest

biographical name

De For·​est di-ˈfȯr-əst How to pronounce De Forest (audio)
-ˈfär-
Lee 1873–1961 American inventor

More from Merriam-Webster on deforest

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