How to Use wilt in a Sentence

wilt

1 of 2 verb
  • The crowd wilted in the heat.
  • The hot weather wilted the plants.
  • He wilted under the pressure.
  • The spinach wilts with in a matter of moments in the hot broth.
    Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2023
  • The flowers left for her hadn’t even had a chance to wilt.
    Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2021
  • The Eagles refused to wilt and rallied for the lead with four runs in the top of the sixth.
    Craig Clary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Remove from the heat, and add the spinach and lemon zest, stirring well to wilt.
    Sarah Copeland, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Step 3Remove oatmeal from heat and fold in spinach to wilt.
    Tina Martinez, Good Housekeeping, 13 Jan. 2023
  • The flowers bloomed in full-force around Aug. 20, and have started to wilt as of Aug. 29.
    Steve Smith, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2022
  • Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, adding more as the spinach in the pan begins to wilt.
    Washington Post, 8 July 2021
  • Stir in the beans and chard leaves and cook just until the leaves wilt, about 2 minutes.
    Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022
  • Add the spinach to the pan and stir into the cauliflower to wilt.
    Beth Segal, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2021
  • Leaves may wilt if the plant is too dry, too wet or exposed to a draft.
    oregonlive, 18 Oct. 2021
  • Add leaves to the skillet and stir gently as the leaves begin to wilt.
    BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2021
  • The arugula gets added to the pan for a minute until just wilted.
    Ann Maloney, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2023
  • The Cavs had scored just six points in the first four minutes -- and the offense was starting to wilt.
    Chris Fedor, cleveland, 4 Nov. 2021
  • Athens, a vibrant, chaotic place, would wilt in the sun.
    New York Times, 21 Aug. 2021
  • Then comes the lettuce, bitter and just a tad wilted under the weight of all the nuts and cheese.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023
  • On Saturday, the Wings erased the deficit, but the Fever didn't wilt after giving up the lead.
    Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Aug. 2022
  • Too much water can damage the roots and cause the leaves to wilt and turn yellow.
    oregonlive, 26 Feb. 2023
  • The plant grows a big leaf each year which wilts and then becomes dormant.
    Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 14 July 2023
  • Humor tends to wilt through the decades; what was once a bite becomes a sloppy kiss.
    Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
  • The daffodils had just wilted, and purple columbines had sprung up in their place.
    Alice Newell-Hanson Sean Donnola, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2023
  • In summer, water daily to keep the soil moist so plants don’t wilt.
    Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023
  • Arrange wilted spinach over onions and scatter peas over the top.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Where Padres teams of old would wilt against this team, in this place, with that start, this group showed the ability to slug it out.
    Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Stir in 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until wilted.
    Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
  • But playing at home at this time of year tends to wilt opponents.
    Keven Lerner, sun-sentinel.com, 16 Sep. 2021
  • Add spinach and garlic cloves; cook until spinach has darkened and wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 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
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wilt

2 of 2 noun
  • Soon, though, the inevitable happens: The blossom wilts, the plant dies, the bugs leave.
    Sergio Ruzzier, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2016
  • Oak wilt was been around for decades and has been confirmed in 40 of the state’s counties.
    From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 8 July 2021
  • The leaves and stems wilt on the outside edges leaving the center green and healthy looking.
    oregonlive, 12 June 2021
  • The plant grows a big leaf each year which wilts and then becomes dormant.
    Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 June 2018
  • Toss well to coat, and cook until the mustard green wilt, 30 seconds.
    Joe Yonan, The Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2019
  • After a strong first half, Portland State wilts at Boise State.
    oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Bake until cheese melts and spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.
    Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, 16 Aug. 2018
  • Add sauce mixture and spinach to skillet and boil 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts.
    Linda Gassenheimer, miamiherald, 6 Feb. 2018
  • Not all cyclamen do it, but watch for any wilt and quickly water the plant at the base.
    Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, 2 Jan. 2020
  • Your leaves could be sun burned, or could have tomato blight or tomato wilt.
    oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2021
  • Oak wilt is often found in oak trees and has been found in 56 Michigan counties.
    Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2022
  • As one part of the industry wilts, another looks about to shoot up.
    The Economist, 20 Jan. 2018
  • The camera keeps rolling and through the inexorable march of time, the burger sits, the lettuce wilts, the tomato droops, and mold grows on the burger.
    Melissa Locker, Time, 19 Feb. 2020
  • The impatiens necrotic spot virus and the disease Pythium wilt have both been around for years.
    Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2022
  • Stir in the crème fraîche, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, pepper and spinach; cook just until the spinach wilts, 2 to 3 minutes.
    The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2017
  • The sweltering heat dries out soil, wilts leaves and slows plants’ food production.
    Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 29 June 2023
  • To my left, a gray-haired woman in her early ‘70s wilts, balled and grimacing in her Burgundy puffer coat.
    Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Oak wilt and the emerald ash borer continue to spread farther across the state, leaving dead oak and ash in their wake.
    Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 26 June 2021
  • Often, migrants’ remains are not found on local ranches until the canopy of brush wilts in the fall.
    Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2019
  • The biggest source of food waste in America is households, where produce wilts, milk spoils, and leftovers lurk at the back of the fridge until they are tossed.
    National Geographic, 30 Mar. 2020
  • Unlike plants getting too much water, the dry plants will recover from the slight wilt quickly.
    Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 14 May 2022
  • Pests and Diseases: The most common problems for cilantro are fungal wilt, leaf hoppers, aphids, whiteflies, and mildew.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 26 May 2020
  • They are filled with a savory-sweet mixture of sauteed apple, onion and kale, done just enough so the apple becomes tender, the onion mellows and the kale wilts a bit.
    Ellie Krieger, The Seattle Times, 24 Sep. 2018
  • But in the 1950s, the crop was swept by a strain of Panama disease, also known as banana wilt, brought on by the spread of a noxious, soil-inhabiting fungus.
    Time, 18 Nov. 2019
  • Oak wilt is a fungal disease that does cause concern in the Hill Country and in isolated areas of outbreaks, but there are work-arounds in place.
    Neil Sperry, star-telegram, 24 July 2017
  • This soup would also gladly welcome mustard greens or kale (just spoon the hot broth over top and watch ‘em wilt), sautéed mushrooms, cooked kabocha squash, a squeeze of lime juice, or a splash of fish sauce.
    Sarah Jampel, Bon Appetit, 19 Feb. 2018
  • And Fisher neither wilts under the camera’s scrutiny nor succumbs to the temptation to stare it down.
    Justin Chang, latimes.com, 11 July 2018
  • Their feeding can transmit wilt and mosaic viruses to your plants.
    The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 1 June 2017
  • Basil infected with fusarium wilt, one of the most common diseases, has brown streaks, twisted stems, and sudden leaf drop.
    Arricca Sansone, Country Living, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Jumping from plant to plant, flea beetles also spread diseases such as early blight and bacterial wilt; tomatoes are often a victim.
    oregonlive, 10 June 2023

Some of 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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