wither

verb with·er \ ˈwi-t͟hər \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: wither in a Sentence

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

See wither defined for kids

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

While California may have to deal with a short-term shelter crisis, a longer-term concern is whether so many people move away permanently that communities wither, jobs are lost and businesses shutter, Jones said.

— rong-gong lin ii and sarah parvini, sacbee, "The Big One could leave 250,000 to 400,000 quake refugees in California. Where will they go?," 3 June 2018
The campaign for a national mandate has withered amid what appears to be a more pressing problem — a historic labor shortage that has businesses across the country desperate for workers, at restaurants, farms and in other low-wage jobs.

— tracy jan, chicagotribune.com, "GOP lawmakers have gone quiet on this popular tool to curb illegal immigration," 22 May 2018
As the Republican party has moved inexorably right over the decades, the restraining power of its mainstream wing has withered.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Oliver North and the Creation of Donald Trump," 7 May 2018
But their stage careers withered as vaudeville died.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "These 'monsters' share a grave in Charlotte. Now their native UK wants to honor them.," 1 June 2018
That is, voters remain loyal to politicians who are loyal to them, even in the face of withering opposition from party bosses.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics How Dems in red states can fight off Trump's vicious attacks," 31 May 2018
Slowly, the business districts withered as store owners pulled out.

— matthew glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "In Louisville's Parkland neighborhood, the scars of 1968 riots are still visible," 26 May 2018
Over the next four months, Mitchell withered away, losing more than 40 pounds.

— Washington Post, "Virginia jails struggle to help mentally ill inmates," 1 May 2018
Two harvests ago, when a drought set in and crops withered, traders were forced to pay Rumo 283 million reais ($85 million) under the rule.

— Bloomberg.com, "Brazil Railroad Posting 755% Rally Fights to Keep Take-or-Pay Clause," 4 Apr. 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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