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

Relevance

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 Spain's deadliest wildfire was in 1979, when 21 people perished in Lloret de Mar, a coastal town about an hour north of Barcelona. — ABC News, 11 July 2026 Julie Chen Moonves shares her thoughts on that wild Big Brother premiere, including Rachel Reilly perishing in a volcano. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 July 2026 While the crown prince managed to free himself from the dragon before sinking, Triarchy crossbowmen peppered him from a nearby ship, and both dragon and rider perished. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 And that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for perish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish

Verb

The lab got its start with studies of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the 1900s, when ranchers and cattle were dying from the then-unknown disease.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
The New Empire, died today, July 21, in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 July 2026

Definition of die

Verb

Flights in early 2025, though, ended in a series of failures including two in which the Starship upper stage disintegrated in a fiery cascade of debris across the skies visible from Florida and the Caribbean.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026
Rainfall likely caused any additional meteorite fragments that fell outside to disintegrate.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Definition of disintegrate

Verb

Of the powerful smell a decomposing body produces, Ho noted the stench was noticeable down the hall from the autopsy room.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026
About four months after Celeste’s death, her decomposing body was found in the Tesla registered to Burke after it was towed from the Hollywood Hills in September.

— Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

His father was by his side for the rise, but his father never saw this fight happen, succumbing to his failing lungs.

— Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Lucas Digne forced his way into the France XI but came unstuck against Lamine Yamal in the semi-finals and Youri Tielemans led Belgium well as captain before succumbing to injury and missing their last-eight defeat by Spain.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of succumb

Verb

More than 85 million pounds of food were being stored at the warehouse, and as of Wednesday, 3,195 tons of the now-rotting material had been removed from the site, according to Lineage.

— City News Service, Daily News, 25 July 2026
But in the weeks since, the stench of rotting food has drifted into nearby neighborhoods.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Blackwater of the Okefenokee Swamp, caused by tannins leached from decaying vegetation, reflects cypress trees at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Folkston.

— Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
During the second inspection, inspectors found decaying organic waste, wastewater, food residue, unsanitary conditions that allowed the breeding of flies, as well as live and dead flies along the northern perimeter of the warehouse.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026