Meaning & use

molt

verb·Academic

To shed old skin, feathers, hair, or an outer shell periodically as part of natural growth.

See it in a sentence

Snakes molt several times a year as they grow larger.

The bird looked scruffy while it was molting its old feathers.

A note on using this word

British English spells this word 'moult'; molt is the standard American spelling.

Words with a similar meaning

shed

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