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

• check out
• conk (out)
• croak [slang]
• decease
• demise
• depart
• die
• drop
• end
• exit
• expire
• fall
• flatline
• go
• kick in [slang]
• kick off [slang]
• part
• pass (on)
• pass away
• peg out [chiefly British]
• pop off
• step out
• 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

An estimated 62 percent of commercial colonies perished, according to a survey by the nonprofit Project Apis m. —Joanna Thompson, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025

The plane explodes, all the commanders perish, and Nick dies along with them. —Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025

The second set of annotations stated that Franklin had died just a few weeks after the first note was written, and a total of 24 officers and crew members had perished to date—a staggeringly high number for a Royal Navy expedition. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

Businesses that cling to outdated models perish while those that embrace transformation thrive. —Pankaj Vasani, Forbes.com, 14 May 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