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 of perish

• die
• fall
• 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 British mountaineer later scaled Everest on the trail of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, fellow Brits who, in 1924, many believe were the first to summit the world’s highest peak (only to perish on the descent). —Jeff Moag, Outside, 24 Nov. 2025

Isidor and Ida Straus are remembered as two of the highest-profile victims of the Titanic disaster, and among the few first-class passengers to perish. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025

Forty passengers and crew perished when the jet crashed soon after. —Joe Dwinell Boston Herald, Arkansas Online, 19 Nov. 2025

Beyond the dolphins, thousands of fish perished, disrupting food supplies for riverside families. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 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

Rhymes for perish

• bearish
• cherish
• farish
• garish
• squarish
• nightmarish

Kids Definition

perish

verb

per·​ish ˈper-ish 

: to pass away completely : become destroyed