TOP

Definition of wilt verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

wilt

verb
 
/wɪlt/
 
/wɪlt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they wilt
 
/wɪlt/
 
/wɪlt/
he / she / it wilts
 
/wɪlts/
 
/wɪlts/
past simple wilted
 
/ˈwɪltɪd/
 
/ˈwɪltɪd/
past participle wilted
 
/ˈwɪltɪd/
 
/ˈwɪltɪd/
-ing form wilting
 
/ˈwɪltɪŋ/
 
/ˈwɪltɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. [intransitive] (of a plant or flower) to bend towards the ground because of the heat or a lack of water
    • Some of the leaves were beginning to wilt.
    • The plants will wilt in direct sunlight.
    synonym droop
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • visibly
    verb + wilt
    • begin to
    preposition
    • in
    • under
    • with
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] (informal) to become weak or tired or less confident synonym flag
    • The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun.
    • He was wilting under the pressure of work.
    Extra Examples
    • By half-time, the team was wilting under the pressure.
    • The passengers were visibly wilting with the heat and movement of the bus.
    Topics Feelingsc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • visibly
    verb + wilt
    • begin to
    preposition
    • in
    • under
    • with
    See full entry
  3. thou wilt
    (old use) used to mean ‘you will’, when talking to one person
  4. Word Originsenses 1 to 2 late 17th cent. (originally dialect): perhaps an alteration of dialect welk ‘lose freshness’, of Low German origin.
See wilt in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Other results

All matches
hat-trick
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Sports
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day