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
Members of my family who did not make that decision perished.
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
His grandfather Daniel was a miner who would perish in an underground accident, and his great uncle George owned a minstrel show that toured Western mining camps.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
With immediate search and rescue now shifting to finding and identifying those who have perished, attention is shifting to various local, state and federal officials and governments, as questions mount over disaster response and warning systems.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 July 2025
Unlike Camp Mystic, the girls camp where at least 27 perished when the deluge hit, Heart O' the Hills was between sessions.
—Frank Morris, NPR, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for perish
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Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
His grandfather Daniel was a miner who would perish in an underground accident, and his great uncle George owned a minstrel show that toured Western mining camps.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
With immediate search and rescue now shifting to finding and identifying those who have perished, attention is shifting to various local, state and federal officials and governments, as questions mount over disaster response and warning systems.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 July 2025
Unlike Camp Mystic, the girls camp where at least 27 perished when the deluge hit, Heart O' the Hills was between sessions.
—Frank Morris, NPR, 12 July 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 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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