perish

[ per-ish ]

verb (used without object)

1. to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc.:

   to perish in an earthquake.

   Synonyms: expire

2. to pass away or disappear:

   an age of elegance that has forever perished.

   Synonyms: vanish, molder, rot, shrivel, wither

   Antonyms: appear

3. to suffer destruction or ruin:

   His valuable paintings perished in the fire.

4. to suffer spiritual death:

   Save us, lest we perish.

perish

/ ˈpɛrɪʃ /

verb

1. to be destroyed or die, esp in an untimely way
2. tr sometimes followed by with or from to cause to suffer

   we were perished with cold

3. to rot

   leather perishes if exposed to bad weather

4. perish the thought!
   may it never be or happen thus

noun

1. do a perish informal.
   to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation

Other Words From

• perish·less adjective
• perish·ment noun
• un·perished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perish¹

1200–50; Middle English perissen < Old French periss-, long stem of perir < Latin perīre to perish, literally, go through, spend fully, equivalent to per- per- + īre to go

Word History and Origins

Origin of perish¹

C13: from Old French périr, from Latin perīre to pass away entirely, from per- (away) + īre to go

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding.

More idioms and phrases containing perish

In addition to the idiom beginning with perish , also see publish or perish .

Synonym Study

See die ¹.

Example Sentences

But despite its bristly concept, “The End” largely forgoes any direct images of annihilation, settling into a vast underground bunker with seemingly endless resources well after most humans have perished.

From Salon

Residents would have as little as 15 minutes’ notice to flee to higher ground, and as many as 10,000 would perish, according to a scenario published more than a decade ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Arab civilians were also reported to have perished in this turmoil, many from shelling by army tanks, or in blistering air raids.

From BBC

"Just recently 25 people perished doing the same journey, usually transiting through Comoros and Madagascar. Generally this year has been the deadliest year for migrants," he says.

From BBC

He perished in the Channel when his overloaded boat sank in heavy seas.

From BBC

Related Words

• cease
• crumble
• disappear
• disintegrate
• pass away
• rot
• succumb
• vanish
• wither