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

The other person on board, who also perished in the crash, was a flight instructor, too. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

Some knew, and competed with, skaters who perished in the crash. —Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025

So far, 55 of those who perished in the crash have been identified. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2025

After hours of touring, giving testimony and praying for those who perished, Ruth Cohen offered advice for us all to prevent future genocide and the dehumanization of any group of people. —Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025

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