1
as in falling
to stop living
12 people perished in the plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rotting
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
as in dying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perishing
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The boys didn't always survive their adventures, with one perishing from a snake bite and another drowning in a Bolivian flood.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Bohlin said that the Swedish Board of Agriculture would procure emergency stockpiling of grain in northern Sweden, which would be circulated so as not to disrupt market mechanisms and to avoid stocks perishing.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The boys didn't always survive their adventures, with one perishing from a snake bite and another drowning in a Bolivian flood.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perishing
Verb
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His goal to seal the win against Italy — a lung-busting run and cultured finish in the dying moments — helped to illustrate the impressive engine at the heart of Cremaschi’s game.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Before dying under the weight of the boulder, the spell caster cursed the princess, her family, and the city.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Churches, libraries, and houses stand splintered and rotting next to posh tourist resorts, the aftermath of 2017’s Hurricane Maria.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2025
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Warm soil can interfere with tuber growth and increase the likelihood of your potatoes rotting in the ground.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Christopher Scholtes, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of intentional child abuse likely to cause death or serious physical injury in the July 9, 2024 death of his 2-year-old daughter, according to the Pima County Attorney's Office.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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Of course, deportation or removal from the United States isn’t the same as death; Rubio’s unilateral visa revocation isn’t the same as the proscription.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This just makes the upcoming six-game homestand critical for the Wild in not falling too far behind in the Western Conference.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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After the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time since December 2024 last month, experts projected that rates would continue falling—even if ever so slightly.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What Pasolini wants is to turn this decaying palazzo into the Château de Silling, the house in which Sade’s libertines conduct their atrocious experiments.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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The decaying carcasses would have been covered by a film of bacteria, which can electrostatically attract clay found in the surrounding sediment.—
Amanda Schupak,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This difference sounds small, but preventing a few tenths of a degree of warming could keep polar ice caps from completely disintegrating, coral reefs from collapsing and other tipping points from triggering.—
Syris Valentine,
Scientific American,
16 Oct. 2025
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As gifts go, this one comes much belated—and with a high risk of disintegrating even as it is being unwrapped.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Jonathan even orchestrates the circumstances of his own death, following Alison’s suggestion before her accidental demise.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
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Was the team’s demise about money?—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another legend explains how in the distant past, the nefarious Lake Nyos was formed from the decomposing body of a Kom chief whose people had been tricked and murdered by the Bamessi tribe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Thatch is made up of decomposing grass stems and roots on the soil surface.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perishing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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