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

While the train disaster claimed more than 40 lives, a 6-year-old child whose family perished emerged mostly unscathed. —Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

An Instagram post by a general from the state of Aragua appeared to be the first public notice that the Presidential guard Eduardo Peraza Moreno had perished, four days after the fact. —Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026

Carolyn’s older sister, Lauren, was also on the plane and perished in the crash as well. —Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026

Two victims were killed by gunfire and two more perished in the fire. —Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 20 Jan. 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