barrens

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But when wasting disease in effect wiped out their main predator, the sea urchins exploded in number, decimating kelp forests and transforming once-lush underwater habitats into so-called urchin barrens.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

"A classic example of multiple stressors causing a regime shift is the transition from kelp forests to urchin barrens in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America," Meunier said.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2024

The wild blueberry, which grows in the sprawling barrens of Maine’s rural east, is the state’s official berry and one of its most significant exports.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023

Narrow but well-worn paths weave through a landscape of heath and coastal barrens, a colorful carpet of wildflowers and evergreens made into dwarf-like shrubs by constant exposure to salt spray and wind.

From Washington Post • Aug. 13, 2022

On the fifth day, I knew I was doomed to wander in endless barrens till I died.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine