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

guard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat

—C. B. Davis

2

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

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

For an employee who perished the way Pérez did, that would have meant payments until his toddler son was at least 18, which could approach a total of $500,000. —Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2024

The dollar is not going to perish; gold will never be money in your pocket again. —Clem Chambers, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

His friends outside the services, who just wanted to live their lives without being bothered by anything else, while fervent patriots, criminals and regime opponents alike perished at the front. —Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024

The chances of slipping by without getting caught are higher, but so are the risks of perishing along the way. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 19 Sep. 2024

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

• perish the thought

Kids Definition

perish

verb

per·​ish ˈper-ish 

: to pass away completely : become destroyed