withered; withering
ˈwit͟h-riŋ,
ˈwi-t͟hə-
1
: to become dry and sapless
especially
: to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture
2
: to lose vitality, force, or freshness
public support for the bill is withering
1
: to cause to wither
2
: to make speechless or incapable of action : stun
withered him with a look—
Dorothy Sayers
Dorothy SayersExamples of wither in a Sentence
Verb
The plants withered and died.
shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered
Recent Examples on the Web
John Bacon, USA Today, 27 June 2025
His assessment of their Euro 2024 run to the final was withering.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
After a few days of forgetting to water a container, the soil can become hard, and the plant begins to wither.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 25 June 2025
Without enhanced subsidies, Merritt said, competition in the marketplace will wither, leading to fewer coverage options and higher prices, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility and where Obamacare enrollment spiked during the past four years, like Florida and Texas.
—Daniel Chang, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The tenuous ceasefire that has halted withering rocket attacks between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding Thursday ahead of talks next week that could lead to a more permanent peace.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 27 June 2025
His assessment of their Euro 2024 run to the final was withering.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
After a few days of forgetting to water a container, the soil can become hard, and the plant begins to wither.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 25 June 2025
Without enhanced subsidies, Merritt said, competition in the marketplace will wither, leading to fewer coverage options and higher prices, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility and where Obamacare enrollment spiked during the past four years, like Florida and Texas.
—Daniel Chang, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Cite this Entry
“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationBiographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share