PERISH Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

perish

verb

ˈper-ish

Definition of perish

as in to die

to stop living 12 people perished in the plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 perish At least 5,000 people perished, most of them in La Guaira state, a strip of cities and slums crammed between the coastal cordillera and the Caribbean Sea, half an hour from Caracas. — Rafael Osío Cabrices, Time, 20 July 2026 People working on ships, as well as foreign workers and others in gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon have also perished in the conflict. — Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026 The era in which the dinosaurs perished would be unrecognizable to a modern person. — Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 Rather than flee or perish, though, the Procyon lotor has turned out to be uniquely adaptive to city life. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for perish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish

Verb

Months prior, in March, heavy rains caused landslides and floods in Ethiopia’s southern Gamo Zone area, and over 100 people died.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Nearly 1,700 children died from Covid-19 between 2020 and 2023, CDC data shows.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of die

Verb

Comedy is a delicate object; a funny play on words in one language might disintegrate in another.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 30 July 2026
The breakaway Super League succumbed to the pressure and disintegrated quickly, with nine of its founding members withdrawing in a matter of days.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 30 July 2026

Definition of disintegrate

Verb

Such is the fate that befalls Meta, whose shares fell as much as 10% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the company missed earnings due to costs ballooning 55% (Meta’s stock later recovered some ground and was down 7%).

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 30 July 2026
Rain fell early Thursday in the city of Bordeaux to the east.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of fall

Verb

Authorities said the remains included bones believed to belong to four newborns and the decomposing body of a fifth.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Ament revisited his archive of decomposing negatives with his brother, designer Barry Ament, a few years ago.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

Second, and perhaps more scientific (as far as these things go) is the fact that Sunfyre had not, in any way, begun to rot.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
The result will be a multi-trunk tree with weak branches growing from a rotting stump that can attract pests like termites and carpenter ants.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Event speakers on Thursday acknowledged the roadblocks facing foreign companies in Venezuela, including decaying infrastructure, political uncertainty and the instability wrought by June’s devastating earthquake.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Second, the array will track decay pathways that mirror stellar reactions, showing how heavy elements form during supernovae and neutron star collisions.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026