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 But all of the effort is ultimately in vain, as every worker wasp will eventually perish from starvation or cold weather. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026 One person was killed, and several animals perished in a house fire in Commerce City on Tuesday. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 Of the 2,977 people who perished on 9/11, 2,753 were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after two hijacked jetliners smashed into them. — Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 Four women and an infant are among the victims who perished, the organization confirmed to The Independent. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for perish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish

Verb

The death comes less than a week after a fourth beluga, named Jelly Bean, died since it was rehomed at Oceanogràfic de València in Spain.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
Most self-help books say anger and grudges are self-defeating — there’s that line everybody uses that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

— Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of die

Verb

After 14 years of exploration, the Galileo spacecraft intentionally fell into Jupiter and disintegrated in the planet's dense atmosphere.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of disintegrate

Verb

Even worse, the process of trying to decompose those grounds can deprive your orchid of nutrients.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026
McGraw said their policy is to allow carcasses to decompose naturally, which is similar to rules followed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Cotter said.

— Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

But rather than succumbing to any one style, Lam developed a unique voice shaped by surrealism, cubism and his heritage as the son of a Chinese immigrant father and a mixed-race mother.

— Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026
Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of succumb

Verb

The interiors feature Borneo ironwood, valued for its resistance to termites, rot, and fungi, with about 90 percent of the wood being reclaimed.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
The fire’s aftermath was just as bad, with cleanup crews having to contend with removing 89 million pounds of thawing, rotting meat, debris and other material.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

This is fun, if a little on the nose, and perhaps meant to be read ironically, evidence of how one era’s urgent fears decay into another’s kitsch.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
By writing an out-of-the-money call and an out-of-the-money put for late October, traders can harvest the elevated premium as time value rapidly decays.

— Michael Khouw, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026