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

As a result, more people have now died of environmental illnesses that followed the September 11 attacks than perished during the collapse of the towers that day. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Not just the 2,977 deaths of innocent, often brave people — the workers trapped in the towers, the first responders who perished in an attempt to rescue them, the passengers aboard United Flight 93 who fought back against the hijackers. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Timothy Stackpole, who perished while trying to rescue others at the World Trade Center, to stand and accept applause from the crowd. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

But all of the effort is ultimately in vain, as every worker wasp will eventually perish from starvation or cold weather. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026

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