View synonyms for

molt

especially British, moult

[mohlt]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

(of birds, insects, reptiles, etc.) to cast or shed the feathers, skin, or the like, that will be replaced by a new growth.

verb (used with object)

to cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal.

noun

an act, process, or an instance of molting.
something that is dropped in molting.

molt

/ ��əʊ�� /

verb

the usual US spelling of moult

molt

To shed an outer covering, such as skin or feathers, for replacement by a new growth. Many snakes, birds, and arthropods molt.

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Other Word Forms

molter noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of molt¹

1300–50; earlier mout (with intrusive -l-; fault, assault ), Middle English mouten, Old English -��ū�پ�� to change (in bi-��ū�پ�� to exchange for) < Latin ��ū�� to change; mutate

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The collective longing for a sturdier system, currently molting in tradwife TikToks and behind the paywall of Andrew Tate’s Hustlers University, is supported by a scaffolding of legitimate critique.

From

Which pollutants stick, and which ones molt away?

From

Yes, a man captured the way independent women prize their freedom more than having to deal with a man that’s always there “molting,” as Lois puts it.

From

Versatile and resilient, the lobster survives by molting, shedding its skin and growing into a new, bigger shell.

From

After years underground, periodical cicadas — insects of the genus Magicicada — are emerging by the trillions across more than a dozen states to molt, sing, court and mate.

From

Molotov cocktail molten

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