molt

Drywood termites molt about seven times during their lives, shedding the old exoskeleton and replacing it with a larger one.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

He was in molt, a sketchy splotch of red and black while he waited for his new plumage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

This isn’t just teenage dramatics: Elephant seals don’t hunt or eat as they molt, so he’s hungry and tired and will sleep wherever he damn pleases.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

They molt multiple times, eventually becoming something less shrimpy and more lobsterlike, called a megalopa.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

As the spiders molt and grow, the net is enlarged.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The final step in the metamorphosis, if all goes well: The case splits open, and the winged creature molts, ready to take its first flight in pursuit of prey, leaving the exuviae behind.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2022

A few days, a few molts, and a few milkweed leaves later, the caterpillar was about a half-inch long and fattening up, following a timetable nearly as reliable as a Swiss watch.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 20, 2019

Eggs hatch after four days, and the larvae grow over the course of seven to nine molts and five to six weeks, he said.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 2, 2014

Embryonic development is external and proceeds through larval stages separated by molts.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

Although spawning occurs at sea, the young come into the estuaries and bays when a few weeks old to undergo successive molts and changes of form.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Pinky’s fame grew even as the bird bent, molted and faded with each turn of the calendar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

“The lobster has molted into its final form,” Steinberger wrote in a blog post about the name change—a nod at his platform’s lobster-centric branding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

The only drawback is that smoked shrimp can be harder to peel — particularly thinner-shelled shrimp that have recently molted.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2023

Dr. de Boer knew that adding molted insect skins to soil enriched its existing bacteria, promoting plant growth.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2022

“I forgot — it was the custard creams we hexed —” Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

They hoped to disrupt the molting process of cicada nymphs, which need to shed their outer layer to emerge as adults.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Over time, they wear out and are replaced in a process known as molting.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2026

Filming took place between October and January, to avoid molting season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

Versatile and resilient, the lobster survives by molting, shedding its skin and growing into a new, bigger shell.

From New York Times ● May 20, 2024

Damaged spangles hung from her dress on hair-thin threads like some molting bird.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray