wither

verb

with·er | \ ˈwi-t͟hər

withered; withering\ ˈwit͟h-riŋ

, 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

noun

Definition of wither (Entry 2 of 3)

chiefly British

: withers

Wither

biographical name

With·er | \ ˈwi-t͟hər

Definition of Wither (Entry 3 of 3)

George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wither

Keep scrolling for more

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

The robot is designed to be multipurpose, but Tianqi Sun, the CEO and inventor, decided to tweak the Hexa’s focus after noticing a sunflower that had withered and died after being stuck in a shady corner. — Ann Lien, House Beautiful, "The Hexa Is Like Your Dream Robot Gardener," 19 Apr. 2019 Once the kinks are worked out, Vic and Robins agreed, back-alley bookies will largely wither and die. — Marcus Hayes, Philly.com, "In common-sense ruling, legal sports betting will exist outside the desert | Marcus Hayes," 14 May 2018 Qatar’s economy also withered—and a devastating storm in 1925 certainly didn’t help. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Hamish Bowles Spends a Week in Qatar and Is Dazzled by Doha," 2 Apr. 2019 These two are barely in the episode, and most of their scenes involve withering looks and passive aggression. — Mehera Bonner, Harper's BAZAAR, "Bree Just Got Engaged to Someone Who Is Not Roger on Outlander," 14 Jan. 2019 Silverstone, whom pop culture met as a teenager, is 41 now, but with an innate girlishness that age cannot wither nor the cigarettes Bonnie is forever waving disguise. — Robert Lloyd, latimes.com, "Alicia Silverstone is that ’70s ‘American Woman’," 6 June 2018 Then Detroit went bankrupt: factories moved; populations withered; city services broke down; short-sighted urban planning proved toxic. — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "At the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Tal R Paints the Michigan Of His Dreams," 10 May 2018 Trump is right that the world is a dangerous place and that a country which lets its defense sector wither by blindly following the rules of free trade could wind up at the mercy of powerful enemies. — Bloomberg.com, "Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world.," 2 Mar. 2018 In Hunchun, another border city, seafood traders say their businesses have withered under a U.N. ban on North Korean seafood exports. — Tom Wright, WSJ, "New Doubts Emerge About U.S.-Led Sanctions on North Korea," 16 Sep. 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.