1
as in to die
to stop living
12 people perished in the plane crash
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2
as in to decompose
chiefly British
to go through decomposition
after being left out in the summer heat, the milk perished and had to be thrown out
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perish
One kid ate the broiled fruit and loved it; the other would have sooner perished.
—
Emily Weinstein, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Following the apocalyptic Ash Wednesday bushfires that swept southern and western Australia in 1983, investigators realized that most of the 75 fatalities perished in late-stage evacuations.
—Charlie Campbell / Melbourne and Canberra, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
The names of the boaters who perished and those hospitalized were not immediately released.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
That was quickly followed by two fatal accidents aboard small planes—one in Philadelphia and then one in Alaska—in which a total of 17 people perished, adding to the unease.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Emily Weinstein, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Following the apocalyptic Ash Wednesday bushfires that swept southern and western Australia in 1983, investigators realized that most of the 75 fatalities perished in late-stage evacuations.
—Charlie Campbell / Melbourne and Canberra, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
The names of the boaters who perished and those hospitalized were not immediately released.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
That was quickly followed by two fatal accidents aboard small planes—one in Philadelphia and then one in Alaska—in which a total of 17 people perished, adding to the unease.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish
Verb
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Juneau, for whom the Juno Awards were named, died in 2012 at age 89.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2025
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Most of Alabama was severely impacted, and at least three died there.—
Robert Shackelford,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The composting bin contains some 250,000 red wiggler worms that feast on the manure of the animals and poultry that live on the farm, and decompose plant detritus, coffee grounds, and table scraps as well.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
8 Mar. 2025
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In a forensic context, mummification occurs when a dead body dries out instead of decomposing as normal, due to a warm, dry and well-ventilated environment, according to the National Library of Medicine.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After this, oil production will fall, albeit slowly toward 2050, as decarbonization proceeds and more electric vehicles take to the roads.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Overall, bookings fell after the deadly Jan. 29 D.C. crash, rebounded a bit, and then fell again after the Feb. 17 crash in Toronto, in which a regional jet crashed upon landing, overturned and caught fire.—
Sam Sweeney,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The top courses of the concrete block had disintegrated, and were nothing more than sand and small stones.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2025
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Players like Bobby Bonilla, George Foster, Vince Coleman, Jason Bay, Justin Verlander, Kaz Matsui, and others, came to Queens with high hopes that eventually disintegrated.—
Bob Raissman,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The story revolves around a town where the inhabitants have been mysteriously disappearing and rumours abound that there are ghosts under the lake eating human heads and leaving the rotting corpses floating on the water’s surface.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
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Check to make sure the soil isn't soggy or too wet, as this can lead to bulbs rotting.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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What doesn’t decay this winter can be mulched up next spring.—
Jeff Lowenfels,
Anchorage Daily News,
22 Sep. 2022
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In particular, many theorists have wondered how the great complexity of life can be reconciled with the laws of thermodynamics that suggest that all systems must inevitably decay to a state of greatest disorder.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
29 Apr. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perish. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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