perished; perishing; perishes
1
: to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
recollection of a past already long since perished—
Philip Sherrard
Philip Sherrardguard against your mistakes or your attempts (perish the thought) to cheat—C. B. Davis
C. B. Davis2
chiefly British
: deteriorate, spoil
Examples of perish in a Sentence
Two people perished in the fire.
The sailors perished at sea.
The civilization perished after 500 years.
Many ancient languages have perished over time.
The rubber will perish with age.
Recent Examples on the Web
More than 1,500 passengers and crew perished; only around 710 of those on board survived.
—ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
At least 70 whales have perished since the start of the year in the shallow lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula where the animals gather to calf, nurse and breed.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Two dogs perished in the blaze as well, officials said.
—Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Viet and Nam try to make sense of the tragic deaths of unfortunate people like Nam’s father, while their film namesake also attempts to do similar for people like those who have perished when attempting to find a new life.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
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ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
At least 70 whales have perished since the start of the year in the shallow lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula where the animals gather to calf, nurse and breed.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Two dogs perished in the blaze as well, officials said.
—Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Viet and Nam try to make sense of the tragic deaths of unfortunate people like Nam’s father, while their film namesake also attempts to do similar for people like those who have perished when attempting to find a new life.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perish. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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