1
as in to die
to stop living
12 people perished in the plane crash
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Scientists believe half perish in their first year, while only a quarter make it to age 4.
—
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Thousands of Palestinians have perished in the bombardment.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
At least 70 whales have perished since the start of the year in the shallow, protected lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula where the animals have congregated for eons to calf, nurse and breed, said Steven Swartz, a marine scientist who has studied gray whales since 1977.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
See All Example Sentences for perish
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Thousands of Palestinians have perished in the bombardment.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
At least 70 whales have perished since the start of the year in the shallow, protected lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula where the animals have congregated for eons to calf, nurse and breed, said Steven Swartz, a marine scientist who has studied gray whales since 1977.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
See All Example Sentences for perish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perish
Verb
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The saxophonist in his band also died, according to manager Enrique Paulino.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
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Iconoclastic critic, art historian, and photographer Max Kozloff, who served as Artforum’s executive editor in the 1970s before turning to his own artistic practice, died on April 6.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The clippings quickly decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Apr. 2025
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Authorities allege the teenager fatally shot the couple at their home outside Milwaukee in February and lived with the decomposing bodies for weeks before fleeing with $14,000 cash, passports and the family dog.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And bond market yields fall by about 150 basis points (1.5 percentage points).11 The Fed Fed Chair Powell says the Fed is waiting for the softening survey data to translate into hard data before moving toward lower interest rates.—
Robert Barone,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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And just how big a hit do 401(k)s take when markets fall?—
Dr. Ronald Premuroso,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Tulips bulbs left in the ground will rot unless they are planted in an area with good drainage.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2025
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While rotting wood needs replacement, the car’s steel frame remains in good condition due to decades of indoor storage, Phalon said.—
David M. Zimmer,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, when viruses were exposed to sunlight, many of them did not survive as long, decaying in under 24 hours.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
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The result was not only environmental catastrophe but license for unchecked consumption of cheap plastic goods that can take a few minutes to use but hundreds of years to decay.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perish. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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