perished; perishing; perishes
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
Synonyms
Examples of perish in a Sentence
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
Big pools aren’t the only threat, as people can also perish in shallow wading pools.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 17 June 2024
Tawada floats the possibility that Patrik has been dead the whole time, having perished in a plane crash en route to his conference in Paris.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024
Both of his parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, during which three of his grandparents perished.
—Harry Mazadoorian, Hartford Courant, 18 Apr. 2024
The crew foreman is related to another man who perished in the bridge collapse, Carlos Hernandez, and brother-in-law of another worker, Adrian Julio Cervantes, who was rescued and survived.
—Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perish 
Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 17 June 2024
Tawada floats the possibility that Patrik has been dead the whole time, having perished in a plane crash en route to his conference in Paris.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024
Both of his parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, during which three of his grandparents perished.
—Harry Mazadoorian, Hartford Courant, 18 Apr. 2024
The crew foreman is related to another man who perished in the bridge collapse, Carlos Hernandez, and brother-in-law of another worker, Adrian Julio Cervantes, who was rescued and survived.
—Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near perish
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perish. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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