perish
to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc.: to perish in an earthquake.
to pass away or disappear: an age of elegance that has forever perished.
to suffer destruction or ruin: His valuable paintings perished in the fire.
to suffer spiritual death: Save us, lest we perish.
Idioms about perish
perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding.
Origin of perish
1synonym study For perish
Other words for perish
Opposites for perish
Other words from perish
- per·ish·less, adjective
- per·ish·ment, noun
- un·per·ished, adjective
Words Nearby perish
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use perish in a sentence
The story is also a tale of resilience and persistence, as Chihiro gradually draws on her inner strength to endure this land where humans are designed to perish.
So I’m hoping that when I get back on the road, that part of me will not ever perish again.
It became part of the local culture, a last stop for unwanted cats, who either learned to survive from hunting and food left by visitors or perished.
People have abandoned hundreds of cats on a deserted Brazilian island. Officials aren’t sure how to save them. | Terrence McCoy | June 4, 2021 | Washington PostHer colleague, Second Lieutenant Carol Ann Drazba, also perished.
Eight Women’s Names Are Among the Thousands on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Here’s What to Know About Them | Francine Uenuma | May 27, 2021 | TimeOne America, King said, was “overflowing with the milk of prosperity and the honey of opportunity,” while in the other, people were “perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”
COVID-19 Reminded Us Of Just How Unequal America Is | Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu) | March 29, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Actually seeing someone perish is horrible for people to see—whether you have covered tough stories in the past or not.
Otherwise, it might be advisable—perish the thought—to start reading newspapers again.
By all accounts he had expected to perish with the other Elders.
Confessions of a Death Camp Collaborator: Claude Lanzmann’s ‘The Last of the Unjust’ | Jimmy So | February 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWorld War II offers innumerable opportunities for her to perish during the Blitz.
And those who really feel that they will perish unless they have 32 ounces of Mountain Dew Code Red can simply buy two.
Michael Tomasky: Mayor Bloomberg Is Right to Declare a War on Sugar | Michael Tomasky | June 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe inheritance of the children of sinners shall perish, and with their posterity shall be a perpetual reproach.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousLet him that escapeth be consumed by the rage of the fire: and let them perish that oppress thy people.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousIt is certain that if this retreat, from which the girls go out married, were to fail, they would perish and be lost.
For my name's sake I will remove my wrath far off: and for my praise I will bridle thee, lest thou shouldst perish.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousFor the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish: and the Gentiles shall be wasted with desolation.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
British Dictionary definitions for perish
/ (ˈpɛrɪʃ) /
to be destroyed or die, esp in an untimely way
(tr sometimes followed by with or from) to cause to suffer: we were perished with cold
to rot: leather perishes if exposed to bad weather
perish the thought! may it never be or happen thus
do a perish Australian informal to die or come near to dying of thirst or starvation
Origin of perish
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with perish
In addition to the idiom beginning with perish
- perish the thought
also see:
- publish or perish
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse