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 This summer has been a deadly one in Europe, with over 10,000 people perishing in the extreme heat over just a few weeks. — Morgan Simon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The nation had just lost 18 of its most promising skaters, while 16 others, including family members, officials, judges and coaches – including Fleming’s own coach, Bill Kipp – all perished in the crash. — Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 Spencer Long, his wife and three sons perished while on a hiking trip. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 30 July 2026 But Jameson is hardly the first family pet to senselessly perish at the hands of law enforcement officers who resort to deadly force far too quickly. — Vanessa Shakib, Oc Register, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for perish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish

Verb

The siblings inherited the Lakers through the Buss Family Trust after their father died in 2013, though their ties to the organization extended well beyond ownership.

— Law Murray, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Fedorov is right to say ideals should not die in warfare, or why else fight?

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of die

Verb

Just seconds later, in a separate incident, the Brazilian F50 was about to go into a standard jibe maneuver (turning the boat through the wind to change direction) but disintegrated in the blink of an eye.

— Andrew Rice, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Tim Graham/Getty Images Most Popular Nader’s empire quickly disintegrated into chaos.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of disintegrate

Verb

When night falls, another show begins with a dedicated corner of the estate designed for stargazing.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Zinc ions enter the electrode first at higher voltages, while much smaller protons are stored later as the voltage falls.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of fall

Verb

The study hypothesized that the sickle was added before the body fully decomposed since no joints were detached or displaced, as archaeologists would expect if a grave were to be disturbed after the body became a skeleton.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Agents plan and reason, decompose goals into steps, call external tools and iterate without being prompted at each turn.

— Hemant Kashyap, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

Once the veteran players and most of the top seeds vanished from the Canadian Open, succumbing to injury and upset, the stakes of the tournament in Montreal took on a new edge.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
In the film, Bourdain doesn’t succumb as deeply to drugs and other bad habits that the chef owned up to in his writing.

— Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of succumb

Verb

City leaders have accused Lineage, whose warehouse in Boyle Heights was destroyed by fire, of blowing past the city’s 45-day deadline for removing millions of pounds of rotting food from its property.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Too thick a mulch layer can cause these normally smaller plants to remain wet and rot.

— Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Researchers can look for this signal by measuring the average vertical direction of the positrons produced when the muons decay.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
The new owners took over the keys to a tired and decaying club in the spring and have since overseen a summer renovation that has stretched from assembling a new first-team squad to restoring hot water to Hillsborough.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026