withered; withering
ˈwit͟h-riŋ,
ˈwi-t͟hə-
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
1
: to cause to wither
2
: to make speechless or incapable of action : stun
withered him with a look—
Dorothy Sayers
Dorothy SayersExamples 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
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
And defense counsel would have – cross-examination would have been withering.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Most of those who shaped or even marginally influenced the events of October 7th are gone, leaving Gaza’s authority withered to the point that even managing the hostages has become paralyzingly difficult.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
That hope began to wither after a loss to the Vikings, and faded further when Saleh was fired when the team returned to New Jersey — a year to the day from Wednesday’s practice.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Houseplants would wither and die.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
And defense counsel would have – cross-examination would have been withering.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Most of those who shaped or even marginally influenced the events of October 7th are gone, leaving Gaza’s authority withered to the point that even managing the hostages has become paralyzingly difficult.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
That hope began to wither after a loss to the Vikings, and faded further when Saleh was fired when the team returned to New Jersey — a year to the day from Wednesday’s practice.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Cite this Entry
“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationBiographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share