wither

with·er | \ ˈwi-t͟hər

How to pronounce wither (audio)

\

withered; withering\ ˈwit͟h-riŋ

How to pronounce withering (audio)

, ˈwi-t͟hə- \

Definition of wither

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

wither

Definition of wither (Entry 2 of 3)

chiefly British

Wither

biographical name

With·er | \ ˈwi-t͟hər

How to pronounce Wither (audio)

\

Definition of Wither (Entry 3 of 3)

George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wither

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Examples 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: Verb Gavitt is determined not to let this effort wither like iHoops, a joint venture in 2008 between the N.B.A. and N.C.A.A. that sought to change the culture of grassroots basketball. — New York Times, "Why Many Top Hoops Recruits Won’t Be at the N.C.A.A.’s New Showcases," 23 July 2019 Dry and partly withered, the tree parts will continue to decay, much like the beet juice Garon mixes with charcoal to make the large abstract drawings that constitute the bulk of the exhibition. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, "In the galleries: Disrupting and denaturing the concept of comfortable at home," 13 Mar. 2020 Energy markets have been hit by a rare crosscurrent: Demand for oil is withering because of concerns that new coronavirus’s spread will weaken global economic growth. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "How the crash in oil prices is playing out around the world," 9 Mar. 2020 The die-off was triggered in 2013 when millions of sea stars along the coast of California withered and died from a mysterious wasting disease. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Giving the ocean some help — California’s new plan to deal with climate change, sea level rise," 26 Feb. 2020 To avoid participants feeling anxious when their plants withered or died, the authors kept more plants at the ready for a swap. — Kristen Rogers, CNN, "Keeping a plant on your desk can reduce workplace stress, study says," 7 Feb. 2020 Lower body mechanics are enough to support accuracy, though the presence of a good pass rush withers this trait. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "NFL combine quarterbacks: Brian Lewerke a sleeper in 2020 NFL draft?," 19 Feb. 2020 Facebook’s initial push to launch a digital currency withered as its financial-industry partners jumped ship in response to regulatory ire, leaving the social-media giant to regroup and pursue a way forward with the project’s remaining backers. — Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, "Facebook Reports Revenue Growth, Rising Expenses," 30 Jan. 2020 With steely clarity in the midst of withering personal agony, the women, most still quite young, painted a terrifying picture of the decade’s darkest moment by simply telling the truth about what Nassar did to them. — Christine Brennan, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal rocked world beyond gymnastics in decade's darkest moment," 15 Dec. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near wither

with egg on one's face

Statistics for wither

Last Updated

30 Mar 2020

Cite this Entry

“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 5 Apr. 2020.

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