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

Two people who perished in a fatal Bronx blaze didn’t stand a chance after their neighbors left a door open that allowed the fire to quickly spread, officials said Friday. —Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026

More than two dozen sloths perished in a warehouse around two minutes from the Sloth World Orlando location between December 2024 and February 2025, the FWC said, as Fox35 reported. —Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

But many details about her father’s family, some of whom had perished in the Holocaust, were scant. —Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026

Singh raised his second straight half-century off just 23 balls with eight fours and a six while Iyer brought up his fifty of 31 balls and smacked Thakur four two consecutive sixes before perishing when Dhir took a stunning catch at deep mid-wicket. —ABC News, 16 Apr. 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