wither

verb with·er \ ˈwi-t͟hər \

Updated on: 26 May 2018

Definition of wither

withered; withering play \ˈwit͟h-riŋ, ˈwi-t͟hə-\

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1 : to cause to wither

2 : to make speechless or incapable of action : stun

withered him with a look
—Dorothy Sayers

See wither defined for English-language learners

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Examples of wither in a Sentence

The plants withered and died.
shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered

Recent Examples of wither from the Web

This is a place where the promise of jobs that an atomic plant brought back in the 1950s withered away, like so much other skilled labor work through the decades.

— chris graves, Cincinnati.com, "Pike County: Death in the foothills," 15 May 2018
But the conversation seems to focus on whether the Phillies can add a big bat, and whether the Flyers can wait for their talented youth to flower before their veterans wither, and whether the Sixers can sign LeBron.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Philly sports fans should enjoy the ride | Marcus Hayes," 13 May 2018
Watching a mother slowly wither away is a painful experience.

— hector de leon, Houston Chronicle, "My Mother, My Hero: What a mother means to her children," 11 May 2018
The holes that the previous burn tore into the ponderosa forests are slow to (or may never) regrow as forest, and with less fuel to burn, the fires wither.

— kyle dickman, Outside Online, "What If Our Forests Don't Come Back?," 9 May 2018
In gardens, blossoms dried and withered, and the weeds by highway entrances took on the appearance of twisted wire.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "The Maraschino Mogul’s Secret Life," 17 Apr. 2018
As top-ranking brass sat with downcast eyes and unmoving expressions, Trump tore into his Justice Department using withering, partisan language.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "Trump unloads Twitter fusillade as Comey interview nears," 15 Apr. 2018
Despite watching the relationship wither into oblivion, Abel refuses to chuck deuces to his loved one.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "The Weeknd's 'My Dear Melancholy' EP: 5 Things That Jump Out on First Listen," 30 Mar. 2018
That resulted in the measure being sent to the Rules Committee, which is supposed to resolve assignment conflicts but often becomes a purgatory where legislation withers on the vine.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Morning Spin: Property tax reassessment measure Ald. Burke tried to block to get hearing after all," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wither.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wither

Middle English widren; probably akin to Middle English weder weather

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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wither Synonyms

wither

noun

Definition of wither

chiefly British

: withers

First Known Use of wither

1607

in the meaning defined above

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Wither

biographical name With·er \ ˈwi-t͟hər \

Definition of Wither

George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer

WITHER Defined for English Language Learners

wither

verb

Definition of wither for English Language Learners

of a plant : to become dry and weak

WITHER Defined for Kids

wither

verb with·er \ ˈwi-t͟hər \

Definition of wither for Students

withered; withering

: to shrivel or cause to shrivel from or as if from loss of moisture : wilt

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wither

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Wither

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