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
He said Farage's words had "hit hard" because his grandparents had escaped Nazi Germany and much of their family had perished in the Holocaust.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
Some wondered whether their loved ones had perished on this desolate spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
Namba had perished on the South Col, just twenty minutes from shelter, assigned to a summit party, and on May 16 he reached the top without supplemental oxygen.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
