wither

1 of 2

verb

with·​er ˈwi-t͟hər 

withered; withering

ˈwit͟h-riŋ,

ˈwi-t͟hə- 

intransitive verb

1

: to become dry and sapless

especially : to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture

2

: to lose vitality, force, or freshness

public support for the bill is withering

transitive verb

1

: to cause to wither

2

: to make speechless or incapable of action : stun

withered him with a look

—Dorothy Sayers

wither

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

: withers

Synonyms

Verb

• dry
• wilt

Examples of wither in a Sentence

Verb

The plants withered and died.

shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Purdy got walloped with a clothesline hit in the fourth quarter while another Bears defender hit his torso, leaving the 49ers’ quarterback withering in pain on his back and grabbing at his facemask. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024

The changes follow federal civil rights complaints, lawsuits and withering congressional scrutiny accusing universities of tolerating antisemitism, after some protesters praised Hamas and called for violence against Israelis. —Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Drought has withered the palms, and the escalators are still. —Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024

Some struggle to make it through the hot humid weather but most wither away. —Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English widren; probably akin to Middle English weder weather

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wither

verb

with·​er

ˈwit͟h-ər

withered; withering

-(ə-)riŋ

1

: to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture and especially sap

the crops withered during the drought

2

: to lose liveliness, force, or freshness

support for the candidate withered

Biographical Definition

Wither

biographical name

With·​er ˈwi-t͟hər 

George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer