wilted; wilting; wilts
1
a
: to lose turgor from lack of water
the plants wilted in the heat
b
: to become limp
2
: to grow weak or faint : languish
: to cause to wilt
Examples of wilt in a Sentence
Verb
The hot weather wilted the plants.
The crowd wilted in the heat.
He wilted under the pressure.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 4 Apr. 2024
Take a moment to comb through leaves and see if there’s any damage, discoloration, yellow browning leaves or wilting.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Yet his career, running roughly from the 1930s to the early 2000’s, also included advertising work for clients ranging from General Foods to Clinique, American laborers at work, abstract nudes, American street life and eclectic visages of everything from wilting flowers to garbage and street signs.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
There were cardboard boxes wilted with moisture, newspapers in short stacks, unused gardening tools hanging on the walls.
—Zach Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Add the butter lettuce, spinach, watercress, arugula and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Add spinach and garlic cloves; cook until spinach has darkened and wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
The common signs of drought and heat stress are wilting, drying or browning leaves, sun scorch on branches and trunks, and an overall look of dehydration.
—Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
The leafy greens — spinach, butter lettuce, arugula and watercress — will wilt quickly when they’re placed in liquid.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
As soon as the kale wilts slightly and turns brighter green, remove from the heat and toss with a dash of sherry vinegar.
—Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
Shake the pan and when the escarole starts to wilt, turn off heat.
—Claudia Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2024
Remove from heat; let stand, covered, until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
Add kale; use tongs to toss mixture until kale wilts, about 3 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Here are some common issues: Curling Leaves Bacterial wilt is the most likely culprit of curling leaves.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2023
That means the plant germinates, sprouts, grows, blooms, wilts, and dies within a singular growing season (usually from spring to the following winter).
—Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 2 Aug. 2023
Bacterial wilt occurs when soil temperatures rise, causing rapid yellowing and spotting on leaves.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2023
Verb
The farro from the other night gets new life with lemon zest, wilted spinach, feta, roasted mushrooms, and red onions.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 4 Apr. 2024
Take a moment to comb through leaves and see if there’s any damage, discoloration, yellow browning leaves or wilting.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Yet his career, running roughly from the 1930s to the early 2000’s, also included advertising work for clients ranging from General Foods to Clinique, American laborers at work, abstract nudes, American street life and eclectic visages of everything from wilting flowers to garbage and street signs.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
There were cardboard boxes wilted with moisture, newspapers in short stacks, unused gardening tools hanging on the walls.
—Zach Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Add the butter lettuce, spinach, watercress, arugula and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Add spinach and garlic cloves; cook until spinach has darkened and wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
The common signs of drought and heat stress are wilting, drying or browning leaves, sun scorch on branches and trunks, and an overall look of dehydration.
—Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
The leafy greens — spinach, butter lettuce, arugula and watercress — will wilt quickly when they’re placed in liquid.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
As long as there isn’t an unforeseen hard freeze, which would cause petals to wilt, the highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s should help extend the blossoms’ shelf life.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
As soon as the kale wilts slightly and turns brighter green, remove from the heat and toss with a dash of sherry vinegar.
—Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
Shake the pan and when the escarole starts to wilt, turn off heat.
—Claudia Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2024
Remove from heat; let stand, covered, until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
Add kale; use tongs to toss mixture until kale wilts, about 3 minutes.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Here are some common issues: Curling Leaves Bacterial wilt is the most likely culprit of curling leaves.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2023
That means the plant germinates, sprouts, grows, blooms, wilts, and dies within a singular growing season (usually from spring to the following winter).
—Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 2 Aug. 2023
Bacterial wilt occurs when soil temperatures rise, causing rapid yellowing and spotting on leaves.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wilt.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Wilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilt. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wilt
3 of 3 noun
: a plant disease (as one caused by a fungus) marked by wilting of the soft parts of the plant
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