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

• die
• fall

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

As biologists began to accept that the smallest of the whales had perished, the rescue work dragged past its second week. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

That’s one in four fish that would ultimately perish in a fishery that only allows anglers to keep one trout over 20 inches long. —Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025

Banana farms, coconut plantations and citrus groves perished in the storm. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2025

All told, hundreds of thousands perished. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 24 Oct. 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