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

Factory ships deplete fisheries in a matter of years and an inordinate amount of sea life also perishes in their nets. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2025

The mid-tier, stripped of its traditional competitive advantages, is being forced into an uncomfortable choice: pivot or perish. —Daniel Newman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025

At least 150,000 Japanese perished—a majority of them civilians. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025

But before the morning ended, over 840 people would perish in what remains the greatest tragedy, in terms of death, in Chicago history. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 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