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
Synonyms
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
The twist involves a naming switch-up between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who perishes at the hand of Darth Maul (Ray Park) at the conclusion of the divisive prequel.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
In the end, 384 men survived and 828 perished, either in the hold or in the water.
—Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
The shelter said on Facebook that all of the dogs perished in the blaze.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024
It is reported that 3 billion native animals perished.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perish 
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Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
In the end, 384 men survived and 828 perished, either in the hold or in the water.
—Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
The shelter said on Facebook that all of the dogs perished in the blaze.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024
It is reported that 3 billion native animals perished.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for perish
Dictionary Entries Near perish
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perish. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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perish
verb
per·ish
ˈper-ish 
: to pass away completely : become destroyed
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