1
as in to die
to stop living
12 people perished in the plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decompose
chiefly British
to go through decomposition
after being left out in the summer heat, the milk perished and had to be thrown out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perish
Over the next few years, humanities departments will have to paradigm-shift or perish.
—
Sigal Samuel, Vox, 2 June 2025
The custom survived for almost another 300 years, finally perishing in 1584.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025
In Andor, most of those who perish in the fight are lost to the history of this far, far away galaxy, their names never known past those who loved them most.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 May 2025
Language begins to perish: The same words recur, deadeningly.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Sigal Samuel, Vox, 2 June 2025
The custom survived for almost another 300 years, finally perishing in 1584.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025
In Andor, most of those who perish in the fight are lost to the history of this far, far away galaxy, their names never known past those who loved them most.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 May 2025
Language begins to perish: The same words recur, deadeningly.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish
Verb
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Missing, however, was the museum’s founder Joseph Randall Shapiro, who died just days earlier at the age of 91. 2011: Ferocious winds spawned tornadoes that hit Downers Grove and Mount Prospect, but warning sirens in the communities remained silent.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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If your team is afraid to disagree, if failure is punished, if new ideas die in PowerPoint—your culture needs rewiring.—
Bill Fischer,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Molasses is food for soil microbes—tiny living organisms like bacteria, fungi, and protozoa—that decompose organic matter, improve soil structure, and make nutrients available to plants, Fox says.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 June 2025
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The microbes perform vital functions like decomposing organic matter, improving water-holding capacity, cycling nutrients, and suppressing pathogens to improve plant resilience and overall soil health.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
Verb
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What once looked like a promising season is falling apart for the Kansas City Royals.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2025
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Americans celebrate Flag Day, which falls on Saturday, June 14, in many ways, including parades, ceremonies and educational events designed to encourage respect for the flag and its significance.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
15 June 2025
Verb
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In its most recent demonstration May 27, Starship spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball before achieving some of its most important objectives.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Laura’s house is a messy, colorful disaster, reflecting a personality that was clearly once charmingly ditzy and has disintegrated into instability.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The oversized chair duo is made from environmentally friendly materials that are weather-resistant and won’t crack, fade, peel, or rot.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2025
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The world may have left England to rot (a subplot involving a foreign soldier implies that other nations have taken an active interest in helping that process along), but any society that allows an entire country to become an open-air graveyard is sick with a terrible virus of its own.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 June 2025
Verb
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However, when viruses were exposed to sunlight, many of them did not survive as long, decaying in under 24 hours.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
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The result was not only environmental catastrophe but license for unchecked consumption of cheap plastic goods that can take a few minutes to use but hundreds of years to decay.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perish. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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