perish
verb (used without object)
to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc..
had perished
-
past perfectof perish.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
I did not know then how many people had perished, but I knew countless families would be grieving that day.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
AFP reporters saw a nurse call out the names of babies who had perished in the fire as families gathered outside.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
If Mr. Thelma had been trapped in the house, he surely had perished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2025
The final was to be played less than 10 miles from where the 1993 team had perished off the Gabon coast.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2024
He meant personally to save more souls than had perished on the road from Bataan, I think, and all other paths ever walked by the blight of mankind.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
