perish
verb
per·ish ˈper-ish 
ˈpe-rish
perished; perishing; perishes
intransitive verb
1
: to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
recollection of a past already long since perished
Philip Sherrard
Philip Sherrardguard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat C. B. Davis
C. B. Davis2
chiefly British : deteriorate, spoil
transitive verb
1
chiefly British : to cause to die : destroy
2
: weaken, benumb
Synonyms
- check out
- conk (out)
- croak [slang]
- decease
- demise
- depart
- die
- drop
- end
- exit
- expire
- fall
- flatline
- go
- kick in [slang]
- kick off [slang]
- part
- pass (on)
- pass away
- peg out [chiefly British]
- pop off
- step out
- succumb
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Two people perished in the fire. The sailors perished at sea. The civilization perished after 500 years. Many ancient languages have perished over time. The rubber will perish with age.
Recent Examples on the Web And yes, both couples perish in tragic, unnecessary ways. Camille Okhio, ELLE Decor, 24 Aug. 2022 Some may perish under the long slow commute aboard shuttle busses. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 The fact that the couple could—and in fact would—perish on any of their research expedition frames the narrative. Katherine Cusumano, Outside Online, 15 July 2022 And, of course, the US's position as a global beacon of freedom and a leader of the world's democracies will perish along with it. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 19 May 2022 The separation of the lovers is compared to that of a soul and its body, and Donne, who had seen men perish at sea, acknowledges his trip as a prefiguring of death. David Propson, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 As a result, my face gets the royal treatment, full of tonics, serum, and gentle massaging, while my legs are left to perish and die of neglect. Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 25 Aug. 2022 But one diver does perish, and his drowning is shown on camera. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Warmer temperatures and the unyielding drought have also created the perfect environment for the blue-green algae to thrive in the lake, whose low levels have caused shocking levels of hitch to dry out and perish in nearby streambeds. Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022 See More
Camille Okhio, ELLE Decor, 24 Aug. 2022 Some may perish under the long slow commute aboard shuttle busses. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 The fact that the couple could—and in fact would—perish on any of their research expedition frames the narrative. Katherine Cusumano, Outside Online, 15 July 2022 And, of course, the US's position as a global beacon of freedom and a leader of the world's democracies will perish along with it. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 19 May 2022 The separation of the lovers is compared to that of a soul and its body, and Donne, who had seen men perish at sea, acknowledges his trip as a prefiguring of death. David Propson, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 As a result, my face gets the royal treatment, full of tonics, serum, and gentle massaging, while my legs are left to perish and die of neglect. Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 25 Aug. 2022 But one diver does perish, and his drowning is shown on camera. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Warmer temperatures and the unyielding drought have also created the perfect environment for the blue-green algae to thrive in the lake, whose low levels have caused shocking levels of hitch to dry out and perish in nearby streambeds. Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English perisshen, from Anglo-French periss-, stem of perir, from Latin perire, from per- detrimentally + ire to go — more at per-, issue entry 1
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Phrases Containing perish
Kids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish ˈper-ish
perished; perishing
: to become destroyed : die
Dinosaurs perished long ago.
The language slowly perished.
perishing 1 of 2
noun
as in dying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dying
- death
- expiring
- withering
- decease
- demise
- shriveling
- wilting
- fading
- expiration
- ebbing
- expiry
- exit
- shrivelling
- waning
- end
- decaying
- decay
- declining
- deterioration
- retrogression
- reversion
- regression
- degeneration
- decadence
- decline
- declension
- descent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- maturing
- ripening
- maturation
- growth
- flowering
- development
- blossoming
- flourishing
- softening
- mellowing
perishing
2 of 2verb
1
as in falling
to stop living 12 people perished in the plane crash Synonyms & Similar Words
- dying
- falling
- departing
- disappearing
- succumbing
- expiring
- fading
- exiting
- ending
- deceasing
- demising
- parting
- going
- passing away
- checking out
- croaking
- buying it
- popping off
- flatlining
- stepping out
- kicking off
- kicking in
- dropping
- pegging out
- snuffing it
- failing
- passing (on)
- buying the farm
- kicking the bucket
- consuming
- giving up the ghost
- biting the dust
- conking (out)
- predeceasing
- drying up
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- living
- breathing
- reviving
- being
- existing
- lingering
- subsisting
- prospering
- thriving
- flourishing
- coming to
2
as in rotting
chiefly British to go through decomposition after being left out in the summer heat, the milk perished and had to be thrown out Synonyms & Similar Words
- rotting
- decaying
- disintegrating
- decomposing
- putrefying
- deteriorating
- spoiling
- crumbling
- corrupting
- molding
- descending
- falling apart
- festering
- moldering
- fouling
- rusting
- turning
- polluting
- contaminating
- souring
- breaking down
- degenerating
- withering
- running to seed
- sinking
- mortifying
- going to seed
- fermenting
- curdling
- tainting
- declining
- defiling
- turning off
- dilapidating
- addling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- growing
- aging
- developing
- maturing
- ripening
- ageing
- restoring
- renewing
- improving
- purifying
- cleansing
- ameliorating
- assembling
- refreshing
- integrating
- composing
- bettering
- meliorating