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 disintegrate
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perish
Two men died last month within days of each other at Rikers, and 15 people perished in custody last year.
—
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
Cookie perished, to say nothing of the dog.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The three perished when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
His parents, siblings and extended family all perished in the Holocaust.
—Lauren Costantino
march 27, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for perish
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
Cookie perished, to say nothing of the dog.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The three perished when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
His parents, siblings and extended family all perished in the Holocaust.
—Lauren Costantino
march 27, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for perish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish
Verb
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The legendary singer across genres died Sunday of multiple organ failure at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, Pratit Samdani, a physician at the hospital said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The family of Troy Murray, a former forward and team broadcaster who died last month, got one of the day's loudest ovations when they were shown on the videoboard.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Or this object, known by the prosaic designation C/2026 A1 (MAPS), could totally disintegrate, vaporized by the fierce heat of our star.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cortisol levels fell for both groups, according to the study.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
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Put simply, prices must fall still further in these metros for shoppers to cover the monthly nut.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Drainage problems and decomposing leaves and mulch will quickly attract them.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
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Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To reject any anomaly, anything mysterious or unusual, Kawamura suggests, is to succumb to a soul-crushing, self-serving conformity—and to withhold possibilities of decency, discovery, and love that make any game worth playing, life very much included.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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He was later transported to a local hospital but subsequently succumbed to his injuries, according to the police.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When they are exposed to cold temperatures, the process that allows mold and other fruit-rotting microorganisms to grow is slowed down.—
Jessica Farthing,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
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Turns out you don’t have to suffer rotting flesh to be undead.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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All of this will be powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) that converts the heat of decaying plutonium into electricity; this is commonly used on deep-space missions.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
10 Apr. 2026
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Remove decaying leaves from containers and empty out the saucers after watering.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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