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

In the end, 384 men survived and 828 perished, either in the hold or in the water. —Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

The shelter said on Facebook that all of the dogs perished in the blaze. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024

It is reported that 3 billion native animals perished. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024

Turgon perished in the battle, but others escaped including Tuor and Idril as well as the legendary elven warrior Glorfindel, who fell to his death while fighting a Balrog during their escape through the mountains. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Oct. 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