wither

1 of 2

verb

with·​er ˈwi-t͟hər 

withered; withering

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 L. Sayers

wither

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

: withers

Synonyms of wither

Verb

• dry
• fade
• wilt

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

Uzbekistan, playing in its first World Cup, was not intimidated by the big stage, weathering a withering Colombia attack in a 3-1 loss. —Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026

White evangelical churches—revivalists, under Sutton’s classification system—experienced remarkable growth, while liberal mainline Protestant churches withered. —Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Outnumbered over 10 to 1, the British volleys against them were withering, and again they were thrown back. —Paul Callahan, Baltimore Sun, 14 June 2026

However, new plants can dry out and wither away quickly. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English widren; probably akin to Middle English weder weather

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wither

• cither
• dither
• hither
• ither
• slither
• thither
• whither
• zither

Kids Definition

wither

verb

with·​er

ˈwit͟h-ər

withered; withering

-(ə-)riŋ

1

: to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture and especially sap

the crops withered during the drought

2

: to lose liveliness, force, or freshness

support for the candidate withered

Biographical Definition

Wither

biographical name

With·​er ˈwi-t͟hər 

George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer