molted; molting; molts
: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically
Birds molt once or twice a year.
: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically
specifically
: to throw off (the old cuticle (see cuticle sense 1))
—used of arthropods
a spider, like a lobster, molts its covering as it grows —
Eugene Kinkead
Eugene Kinkead
molter
noun
Examples of molt in a Sentence
Verb
Snakes molt as they grow, shedding the old skin and growing a larger new skin.
a crab molts its shell as it grows larger
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
For years, however, the face of the gigantic crawler eluded scientists—Arthropleura fossils discovered since the 1800s were often only remnants of headless exoskeletons left behind during molting.
—Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Dan Aulbach, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
In the wild, king penguin chicks typically only molt after their parents return in the spring to feed them.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for molt 
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Verb
The beloved bird—who became a global internet sensation earlier this year—is beginning to molt.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
For years, however, the face of the gigantic crawler eluded scientists—Arthropleura fossils discovered since the 1800s were often only remnants of headless exoskeletons left behind during molting.
—Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
King penguin chicks experience their first molt around 10 months old and the process can last up to six weeks, per the aquarium.
—Dan Aulbach, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
In the wild, king penguin chicks typically only molt after their parents return in the spring to feed them.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for molt
Dictionary Entries Near molt
Cite this Entry
“Molt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/molt. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
molt
1 of 2 verb
: to shed hair, feathers, outer skin, shell, or horns with the cast-off parts being replaced by a new growth
molt
2 of 2 noun
: the act, process, or period of molting
Medical Definition
molt
1 of 2 intransitive verb
variants
or chiefly British moult
: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically
: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically
specifically
: to throw off (the old cuticle)
—used of arthropods
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