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
Published May 1, 1987 The new $240 million Sunshine Skyway bridge opened Thursday with a procession of cars, 2,000 yellow balloons and a memorial bouquet of 35 white carnations, one for each traveler who perished in the 1980 disaster.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
All the fish perished, according to Meredith Hendricks, executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, a nonprofit organization that owns and manages the preserve.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
How kids get left in hot cars The news that a child has perished in a hot car usually sends shockwaves through the local community and can make national headlines.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The gaping cut across the bow, showing the boiler room where the engineers perished, is an astonishing sight in the film.
—Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
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Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
All the fish perished, according to Meredith Hendricks, executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, a nonprofit organization that owns and manages the preserve.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
How kids get left in hot cars The news that a child has perished in a hot car usually sends shockwaves through the local community and can make national headlines.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The gaping cut across the bow, showing the boiler room where the engineers perished, is an astonishing sight in the film.
—Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 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 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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