1
as in died
to stop living
12 people perished in the plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disintegrated
chiefly British
to go through decomposition
after being left out in the summer heat, the milk perished and had to be thrown out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in departed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perished
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Almost all 19 of the people who died in the blaze perished in the neighborhood.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
At least two others were believed to have been trapped inside the church when the fire started and perished in the flames.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The parents of a girl who was among the victims who perished in flooding waters at Texas’ Camp Mystic in July have condemned the camp's plans to reopen while their daughter’s body remains missing.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The agony is still fresh for Katie and Clarke Baker, whose 8-year-old daughter Mary Grace perished in the flooding.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
James, 57, perished in the crash along with his wife Melody Carole Wilson and her daughter Meryl.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Over the last decade, around 100,000 Americans have perished waiting.
—Elaine Perlman, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
In the summer of 2019, more than 6,200 koalas in New South Wales – 15% of the state's population – are thought to have perished in the devastating fires.
—New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The role of Doug McBride, who was played byJason Graham, perished in a car crash.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Almost all 19 of the people who died in the blaze perished in the neighborhood.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
At least two others were believed to have been trapped inside the church when the fire started and perished in the flames.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The parents of a girl who was among the victims who perished in flooding waters at Texas’ Camp Mystic in July have condemned the camp's plans to reopen while their daughter’s body remains missing.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The agony is still fresh for Katie and Clarke Baker, whose 8-year-old daughter Mary Grace perished in the flooding.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
James, 57, perished in the crash along with his wife Melody Carole Wilson and her daughter Meryl.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Over the last decade, around 100,000 Americans have perished waiting.
—Elaine Perlman, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
In the summer of 2019, more than 6,200 koalas in New South Wales – 15% of the state's population – are thought to have perished in the devastating fires.
—New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perished
Verb
-
The comments come more than nine months after her husband, Jeff Baena, died at 47.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Fellow comedy legend Carl Reiner, who played the wily Saul Bloom in all three Ocean's movies, died in June 2020 at age 98 from natural causes, leaving behind a career that netted him 11 Emmy Awards, a Grammy, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Before flight 10, Starship's most recent demonstration came on May 27, when the spacecraft spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
-
When breaking down what the heck happened over the last four months, the first item on the list is the way New York’s starting rotation disintegrated.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But with Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac taking the majority of the shots instead of the departed Paul George and a rehabilitating Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers score 45.9 percent of their points in the paint (fifth in NBA).—
Law Murray,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
-
These spirits not only provide a thoughtful toast to the departed but also serve as a reminder of Mexico’s deep traditions and reverence for the past.—
Rachel King,
Forbes,
1 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
This was the club felled by Pete Alonso’s shocking home run last autumn.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
However, the miniature accessories didn’t seem to stop a group of humans from felling and butchering the elephant.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the Riverfront Times, portions of his fingers had rotted away before anyone found him.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
When a small job of filling in a hole that a pet has dug or where a root has rotted, homeowners can easily handle this type of job themselves.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Local stations, which are much more reliant on federal grants than their national counterparts, have borne the brunt of the lost funding, resulting in layoffs and programming cuts.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Another shopper used it to track down their lost Apple AirTag after their iPhone’s Find My application couldn’t pinpoint the exact physical location of it inside their home.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His body has barely decayed, and his hair and teeth are still intact.—
Raquel Reichard,
Refinery29,
24 Sep. 2025
-
But Iran’s model decayed even in places where Israel and the United States had not attacked for some time.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perished. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share