- present participle of perish.
perishing
Americanadjective
adjective
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informal (of weather, etc) extremely cold
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slang (intensifier qualifying something undesirable)
it's a perishing nuisance!
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perishing
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at perish, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although Alice never ran the risk of actually perishing in Wonderland, Arisu is another matter because of the very nature of the Borderland and how you gain entry through a near-death experience.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
The young meat-eater had chomped off the hind legs of two parrot-like dinosaurs called caenagnathids before perishing itself.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 8, 2023
Years of anecdotal reports from other golden lovers as well as scattershot studies seemed to support the idea that something was wrong: Were the big, sweet dogs now perishing earlier than their forebears?
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2023
And she claimed her second victim in her second over, Sarah Bryce perishing for 13 from nine balls when a mis-timed shot resulted in a leading edge that was easily gathered by wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2023
Ancient sources talk about his perishing at sea for his impiety, or alternatively, say that the brotherhood banished him and constructed a tomb for him, expelling him from the world of human beings.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
