wither

1 of 2

verb

with·​er ˈwi-t͟hər How to pronounce wither (audio)
withered; withering
ˈwit͟h-riŋ,
ˈwi-t͟hə- How to pronounce wither (audio)

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 lookDorothy Sayers

wither

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

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
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Verb
So why do people like Winfrey, Disney, Cuban and Schumacher flourish after setbacks while others wither? Dr. Angélica S. Gutiérrez, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 As football in the south bloomed, at the other end of the country Wrexham were withering away in the non-League. Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 July 2025 Meanwhile, Paramount’s board faced withering pressure, with a settlement widely seen as a prerequisite for getting government approval for the company’s $8-billion sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media, or the deal would collapse. Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025 State and national economists attribute the surge in beef prices to fewer cows nationwide, a result of more than a decade of drought that has withered food supplies. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for wither

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wither was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

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 How to pronounce Wither (audio)
George 1588–1667 English poet and pamphleteer

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