perished; perishing; perishes
1
: to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
recollection of a past already long since perished—
Philip Sherrard
Philip Sherrardguard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat—C. B. Davis
C. B. Davis2
chiefly British
: deteriorate, spoil
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
How kids get left in hot cars The news that a child has perished in a hot car usually sends shockwaves through the local community and can make national headlines.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The gaping cut across the bow, showing the boiler room where the engineers perished, is an astonishing sight in the film.
—Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
Thus, only a few AI startups that achieve significant breakthroughs, such as closing the gap between advertised and actual capabilities and enhancing commercial viability, are likely to survive and justify their valuations, while the majority perish.
—Tomas Milar, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
No wonder that, even though tumors regularly shed cells, most escapees perish or languish without successfully establishing themselves as metastases.
—Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
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Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The gaping cut across the bow, showing the boiler room where the engineers perished, is an astonishing sight in the film.
—Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
Thus, only a few AI startups that achieve significant breakthroughs, such as closing the gap between advertised and actual capabilities and enhancing commercial viability, are likely to survive and justify their valuations, while the majority perish.
—Tomas Milar, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
No wonder that, even though tumors regularly shed cells, most escapees perish or languish without successfully establishing themselves as metastases.
—Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perish. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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